Winter's Breath
by Ivory Goddess of Ebony Heart
Summary: Seto Kaiba finds something he was never looking for in a place he never expected. SK x OC
1. First Sight

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Hey fanficcers! It's my first story. Hope you enjoy. I will try to update at regular intervals and don't worry, romance shows up later :)

Sorry this first chapter is a bit short, but it's more of an introduction.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN YGO! If I did, I'd make Kaiba actually have an outfit that doesn't involve a cape/buckles.

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Chapter One:

First Sight

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_Blow, blow, thou winter wind,  
Thou art not so unkind  
As man's ingratitude;_

-As You Like It-

-William Shakespeare-

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I looked around. There was no one. To myself, knowing the dark concealed, I smiled. Not a happy smile, but venomous. I never had a happy smile. I could leave that task to the optimists. I don't have time for them. Like anyone would ever be worth my time.

I stepped out from the darkened office. No one had seen me and even if they had, they wouldn't say anything. I peered down the hall. Empty. I kept walking until I came to room one sixty-five. I strolled to my desk and ignored the spluttering of the teacher at the front of the room.

After a moment, she said, "Seto, we've already done attendance. You must go to the office immediately to get a late slip!"

I glared at her and realized that I was at least a foot taller than her. "My name is Kaiba to you. And I don't have time to get a late slip. Unlike the rest of these _children_, I actually have work to do."

I went to my seat and she sat in silence for a minute before she got on with the lesson. People were staring at me. Except one person… who were they?

I snorted and looked away. I had been away on business for a few days and they could be anyone. To be honest, I couldn't care less. I unfolded a small book and read it. Compulsory credits were the most boring. My teacher glanced awkwardly at me, so I opened the textbook with a slight glare. I might be commanding, but I knew to have respect for my elders. This man didn't really deserve it, but I had better things to do with my time than argue about trivial, time consuming matters. I had a company to run and I knew how to keep priorities ordered.

The bell rang after some time was needlessly wasted. I walked out of class and down the hall. I passed many people, many faces I knew. Their names were taking up space in my mind, and that space was limited and valuable. I didn't care what any of their names were and could I forget them, I would.

But that one girl. In class. Who was she?

He walked outside and saw someone move in the shadows.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Roland stepped out of the limo and saw young Mokuba leaning against the side of the building. He was pouting.

"You're late." The pout increased, until it looked almost comical.

Roland bowed. "Sorry master Mokuba, I was asked to bring your elder brother home first I was waiting for a call from him to come pich him up, but he never called. Please accept my apology."

Mokuba thought it over for a moment and decided it was important and not simply done out of carelessness.

_What happened to Seto? He never missed a call..._

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

Sakura Takashi was trudging through the cold February slush in Japan. The snow was truly beautiful, 'a crystalline delight' as she called it, but then it melted in your shoes.

Sakura was walking through the field that lay just beyond her house. A path down the centre of the lot led almost directly to her home. Anything was better than staying longer than necessary in the snow. All short cuts were welcome.

School had let out and Sakura's last class at Domino High School had been Year Ten English. She had fallen asleep sometime after the introduction to _Julius Caesar_, a book she had already read twice. Sakura was prodded awake by the teacher in the middle of a dreamless sleep. The first thing she saw when her eyes opened were multiple students gawking at her and many more laughing. Sakura had flushed a deep crimson as the teacher lectured her about the importance of paying attention during class for a good future and other trivial things that wasted everyone's time.

All the other classes had been things of uncomplicated matter too. There was nothing to interest her, only the curriculum's repetition in varying grade levels.

Her classmates were merely…there. Sakura, though a natural beauty, was ignored and dubbed "the listener." She rarely spoke and didn't relate well to people her own age. Or maybe just people in general. In all honesty, Sakura's only companion was herself.

She reached her front door and fished the key out of her purse. The door swung open with a click. All was dark inside.

Sakura sighed. She was even solitary at home. Her mother and father were usually pleasant people, but were currently on a two-week business trip to Brazil. Apparently, they trusted Sakura enough to not burn the house down, or invite the friends she didn't have over and have some kind of lunatic party. Any other teen's parents probably would have to hire a babysitter or buy surveillance cameras to keep their kids out of trouble. But not Sakura. She was just naturally good. Sakura saw no point in causing trouble; it was just a waste of time for the authority and the culprit.

She snapped on the kitchen light and made herself a cup of hot cocoa, digging some vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and adding a generous spoonful to the top of her beverage. She had a very delicate palate and needed the extra cold so she wouldn't burn her mouth.

Sakura sipped her foamy drink and relaxed as the heat pulsed through her and warmed her hands. She walked over to the living room and flopped down into a green recliner. Sakura allowed her damp black hair to softly billow around her head.

Her eyes, almost the exact colour of jade, scanned the familiar room before her. Family photographs lined the mantelpiece. Something in Sakura's eyes gave off the fact that her smiles were only skin-deep.

She was externally happy. Sakura had all the earthly things she desired, mostly because she was an only child and her parents owned a large advertising agency. The only thing Sakura lacked was a way to escape from her loneliness.

Pets were out of the question. Sakura had always secretly wanted a rat, but her parents had no wish for "vermin" in the house. Other pets were not allowed either. Her father was allergic to most large animals and many smaller ones as well. Sakura had once hid a gerbil she bought at the pet shop under her bed when she was about six. The next day, the gerbil went back to the confused store owner after her father's sneezing fit alerted him to the tiny animal's presence.

As for human friends, they were impossible.

So Sakura had only her books for company. They lined the walls of her bedroom, from top to bottom, rows upon rows of her precious books lay dormant, waiting for a wandering hand to reach out and read of their stories. Books of classic literature, mystery, suspense, and especially poetry.

Sakura herself had written some of the poetry books. One of her favourites was entitled "Poems for the Soul." It was her first poetry collection and she treasured it dearly. Sakura would pore over the words for hours, feeling the emotions rush over her and remember the story behind each group of words.

Sakura left the living room, easing out of the recliner and draining the last of the cocoa from her cup. She then placed it in the dishwasher rack.

Sakura went to her room that was up the first flight of stairs and down the main hallway. She took out that first volume of poetry. She flipped through the worn pages until she reached the text she desired, written in liquid black ink with her favourite calligraphy pen.

The page read:

_Poison Scars_

_I have a quiet, burdened soul_

_That no one else can see._

_It faintly bears upon its surface_

_The poison scars of humanity._

_Time cannot heal all of our wounds_

_Though memories fade and slip away._

_Fingers probe for hidden sorrows_

_After the tears fall as I pray._

_I hide the pain inside my heart_

_And throw away the well-worn key._

_Some will search my eyes for sadness _

_In the emptiness inside of me._

_I cannot love the things I fear_

_Nor embrace the things I used to love._

_Now my soul is ragged tatters_

_But holds the feather of the dove._

_The feather has the dreams inside_

_That I had hoped and locked away._

_It is the thing that I am sure_

_The surface scars will never slay._

_But still I hold a broken heart_

_That has been sewn too many times_

_With threads of distraught desperation_

_Which a child's solemn thinking mimes._

_I have a quiet, burdened soul_

_That no one else can see._

_It faintly bears upon its surface_

_The poison scars of humanity._

Sakura traced her fingers over the words. It was only two years ago she had written this poem and the first volume. Sakura was indeed scarred, and the truth hid in the words. She was lonely.

Somehow, though, Sakura felt something inside her. And that something told her that she didn't need anyone.

Some other poems in the book had just been words before Sakura put them to music. She had a talent for that sort of thing and also sang quite well, but refused take vocal lessons. Sakura knew she wouldn't enjoy them even half as much as singing by herself.

She refused to sing in front of any audience too. She wasn't afraid, but didn't want the pressure of trying to please everyone with one type of music.

And Sakura's favourite was classical, which was unusual for a fifteen year old. Few people seemed to appreciate it for what it was. Beauty in words. Most teens would laugh at it. But then again, Sakura was not exactly your regular teenager.

Sakura had been reading the words for a long time and decided she was hungry. If another adolescent had been left alone for any extended period of time, they probably would have eaten order-in pizza. Sakura was, once again, different. She enjoyed baking and had free rein of the kitchen at her home. She took off her school uniform and put on a pair of jeans and a blue fuzzy sweater. It was too cold to be wearing a skirt. Sakura hated the school outfits.

Sakura pondered over what to eat for a moment, and then got out the ingredients for a cheese omelette. She let herself be soothed by the grating, the flipping and the noises and smells of the kitchen.

Soon her omelette was finished. Sakura poured herself a glass of peach nectar and ate her dinner in silence. The clock ticked annoyingly from the wall all the while.

After Sakura finished her meal and loaded her dishes in the dishwasher, she grabbed _Romeo and Juliet, _an old favourite, and prepared to settle in for a comfortable evening.

Just then, the phone rang.

Sakura stood up wearilyand crossed the room to the insistent phone.

"Takashi residence, how may I help you?" she answered mechanically.

A high, giggly voice answered.

"Sakura, is that you? It's Yuki."

"Yuki?"

"Yeah, I'm in your English class. I'm sick today and was wondering if you had, like, a copy of today's assignment."

Sakura was not impressed. Yuki was one of the most popular girls in school, but also the least intelligent. How this girl managed to get into any school at all was beyond her. Her very_ name_ meant lucky, but she was apparently inept in every academic area possible. But everyone just _adores_ stupid, preppy, blonde girls, right? Why would she call on Sakura? There were twenty-seven other people in that class. Most of them would love the chance to have her call so they could boast to anyone who would listen about how Yuki had picked _them._ Most of the people were her friends.

Sakura replied with a hint of venom," I could photocopy the homework sheet. It's on _Julius Caesar_."

_As if I have time to help out the dregs of society._

Sakura smiled as she thought about how long it would take Yuki to finish it.

"Where do you live?" continued Sakura incredulously.

"Just down your street. Number six seventy-two. That's why I called you."

Ah. That was the reason.

"Sure. I'll be right over." Sakura replied sarcastically.

"Thank you so much!" replied Yuki cheerfully, not noticing the unkind tone in Sakura's voice.

"Bye." said Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

She hung up the phone quickly and went about photocopying the paper in her office and putting together some cookies she had baked earlier for the sick Yuki. But first, she sprinkled a little pepper on them.

She put on her waterproof boots as opposed to her sneakers and grabbed a black button-down jacket. Sakura seized the cookies and the homework page and headed out the door, pausing to lock it.

She walked briskly down Willow Street, humming the song _Ave Verum _as she went along.

When she neared Yuki's house, Sakura's feeling of ease from the calming song turned to annoyance. It was funny how Sakura _seemed_ so shy and timid on the outside, but really was not at all.

Sakura rang Yuki's doorbell and Yuki herself soon answered it. It looked like she had a cold.

Yuki gleefully accepted the cookies and grimly glanced over the homework. "This is going to take me _forever_!" Yuki whined to no one in particular. Sakura had to work hard to suppress a smirk.

Yuki politely asked her to come inside for a while, but Sakura declined, saying she had brownies in the oven, which was a complete lie.

Yuki smiled and waved goodbye whilst Sakura smiled her superficial smile and hurried back up the sidewalk.

But Sakura decided to go through the field. She enjoyed the view, as the ground was elevated and you could look down over the whole town. It had a humbling feeling, the same effect as when you look at the stars, reminding you just how small you are. She started to feel a little guilty about putting pepper on the cookies.

_"Now was that really necessary?"_ Sakura heard her mother's reprimanding tone in her head. It really _was _quite childish…

She shrugged it off and continued heading home.

Sakura walked slowly through the field; now that the snow had stopped, it wasn't as cold. Also, Sakura was quite uncoordinated and fell often when she ran, another reason to be leisurely.

As she was strolling along, she noticed what looked like a lump of snow a bit off the main path. She remembered seeing a dragon snow sculpture the other day: it had been beautiful. Sakura rushed over to see what it was; she only stumbled once over a rock in her path.

What lay in the snow was not a sculpture.

It was the most beautiful human being Sakura had ever seen.

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Please R and R!


	2. The Waking

_What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how  
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and  
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like  
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet,  
to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me—  
nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so._

_-Hamlet-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

The boy was like a fallen angel. His dark chestnut brown hair was ruffled in casual disarray. Every feature was straight and perfect. A delicate fringe of lashes framed his closed eyes. He must have been in a frozen state.

Sakura reached out to touch the skin of his bare hand. It was hard and a porcelain white colour. He did not stir.

Sakura now regretted not bringing her cell phone with her. Nothing about what to do when you find a random boy frozen in the middle of a field. She could not leave him here, that was certain. Sakura stood, torn between the choices of leaving the beautiful boy, running back home to get help or carrying him.

She opted for the last choice. He wouldn't be easy to carry, though he looked fairly slender. It was a short distance to Sakura's house. She could manage.

Sakura decided to check his pulse first though, the very idea of bringing home a corpse petrified Sakura immensely.

She got down on her knees in the snow, which numbed her knees through the denim of the jeans.

_Yes! _Sakura thought excitedly._ He does have a pulse. And a steady one at that! _Sakura could hear him breathing lightly, so little that she could scarcely feel his chest move beneath her.

Sakura stood up, inhaling deeply. She hoisted the boy into her arms, bridal style. One arm hung down limply, the other rested on his stomach. He was heavy as she expected, but Sakura knew she had no other choice.

She walked down the field path slowly, sweating with the effort of her load. Sakura had to stop every few feet to catch her breath, but then remembered the urgency of her task and carried on. She was glad there was no traffic in her residential area, hardly any neighbors to make remarks or report suspicious behavior. Carrying a seemingly dead body down the street was indeed suspicious and Sakura sent a small prayer of thanks up to the heavens.

When the awkward pair finally reached her house, Sakura realized that she couldn't unlock the door without putting down the burdensome boy. Her long-suffering limbs made it around to the backyard.

Sakura kicked the garden gate forcefully, almost falling down in the process. The gate opened slowly with much creaking involved. She plunged across the snowy ground and managed to open the back door by using her mouth to turn the handle.

Sakura walked inside slowly, not daring to go faster for fear of dropping the boy. She deposited him on the couch; finally uncramping her weary arms and stretching them joyfully. Sakura then made sure that all his limbs were off the floor.

She ran upstairs to the linen closet and grabbed a heavy cream-colored quilt. Sakura ran down the carpeted steps, miraculously not tripping at all.

She tucked the quilt around the beautiful boy and paced anxiously in front of the couch, waiting for him to awaken, or at least show some kind of life besides a pulse. _If he doesn't wake within thirty minutes, _Sakura decided, _I __**will**__ phone for an ambulance. _

Sakura thought for another moment, then decided to make some peppermint tea for herself and for the boy when he woke up. She walked to the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder as she went, wishing for the boy to awaken.

As Sakura put the kettle on, she hummed a little as she always did when she worked. But soon, she couldn't resist the melody of the song, which happened to be _On My Own _from _Les Miserables. _Another song that described her well.

When she sang the line "_In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight, and all I see is him and me forever and forever" _she thought back to the boy that lay unconscious on her couch, lost in his thoughts, swimming through shadows.

Sakura continued her song, but with questions spinning in her mind. _What happened? Why was he there? Will he be okay? Should I go check on him?_

Then there were other questions, some superfluous and others critically important. They swirled in her mind, faster and faster, until they became an undecipherable blur.

The most important was this: _Why do I care?_

Sakura shook her head, clearing away the inquiries. She poured the steaming water from the kettle and placed two tea bags in the cups. Sakura added a few ice cubes from the freezer to her own drink and headed back to the living room, carrying both mugs. She lamented, not for the first time, her poor balance.

Sakura was coming to the end of her song. _I love him, but only on my own. _It was a song of grief, but also of serenity. Who was "him" though? _This boy? Could it be that I…?_

Sakura stopped. Last time she had thought like this, she'd gotten hurt.

To distract herself, she glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. Fifteen minutes. If the boy wasn't awake in fifteen minutes, she would call. However, something was holding Sakura back. She wanted to keep him with her. Forever.

Sakura examined the angelic face more carefully. His mouth held no expression, but his lips were parted slightly. His face was untouched by any emotion. The boy's skin was smooth and pale, but not white as it had been in the field. Sakura tried to guess his eye color, but for now all she could see were the pale eyelids with the delicate, glossy lashes framing them.

She gently folded back the blanket. Sakura hadn't taken in his clothing before; she was too stricken with his face. Sakura now realized he was very well dressed. All the clothes hinted at designers and high prices, like her own. He was wearing a light gray knit shirt that was slightly v-necked with long sleeves. He was wearing black denim jeans, had black and white shoes on, and completed the ensemble with a light trench coat that was a deep midnight blue.

Sakura put his teacup on the table next to hers. The ice cubes had melted and it was now fit for her to drink. She drank deeply, enjoying the heat as she always did. Sakura was not one to enjoy the cold.

She thought she saw a flicker of movement in the boy, but it was only the late afternoon sun slipping down in the sky.

Five minutes. Sakura touched his hand again. It was still cool, but no longer cold. She sighed deeply and brought her hand back slowly. Sakura pulled the blanket back up to his neck with the utmost care, as one would do for a sleeping child.

Only three minutes were left.

Sakura was so lost in her own thoughts that she nearly missed the first sign of life in the boy. She snapped to attention. He had sighed softly and his eyelids fluttered but failed to open. His brow creased in frustration and slowly, his eyes opened.

His eyes were dark blue orbs filled with confusion. They glistened like the snow crystals outside. But something was wrong. They didn't quite match the rest of his innocent features. They looked… hard. As if Sakura was not one to be trusted.

Sakura could only gaze in shock. He was truly beautiful. Angelic. But also mysterious.

He opened his mouth to speak. "Where am I?" His voice had a musical sound to it, like wind chimes on a summer day. It also possessed a velvety undertone and was fairly deep. He sounded anxious.

Sakura was so stricken, it took a moment for it to occur to her that she should answer his question.

"My name is Sakura Takashi. You are in my home."

"What?" the boy demanded. "How did I get here?"

"I… I found you in the field. You were unconscious. In a frozen state, I think. I carried you here."

"I heard a voice. Pure and golden, like an angel's. What was it?"

Sakura couldn't find a way to answer without sounding extremely conceited, so she remained silent.

But the boy read that in her eyes.

"It was you." This was a statement, not a question.

Sakura just blushed.

"It was so sweet." the boy recollected, almost wistfully.

It was a moment before Sakura could gather herself enough to ask her own question. "What's your name?"

"Seto. Seto Kaiba."

"How did you get in that field? What happened?"

"I… I can't remember."

Again, Sakura had no response. She offered him the tea.

"Here, drink this."

"Thank you." He accepted the cup and sipped it weakly.

Seto groaned lightly after a moment.

"My head…"

"What is it?" Sakura inquired urgently.

"It hurts. Like fire."

"Lift your head!" she demanded urgently.

Seto obeyed.

On the back of his head was a large gash that was slowly staining the couch a wet crimson.


	3. Blood Transfusion

_Whence is that knocking?  
How is't with me, when every noise appalls me?  
What hands are here? Hah! They pluck out mine eyes.  
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood  
Clean from my hand? No; this my hand will rather  
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,  
Making the green one red._

_-Macbeth-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

There had been no blood on the snow. Nor was there any on Sakura's jacket. The wound must have started bleeding sometime after he had been laid on the couch. In fact, the couch was stained such a deep scarlet, Seto must have been bleeding the entire time Sakura had been speaking to him! How could he have been ignorant to such a thing?

_If I wasn't so obsessed with staring at his face, I might have noticed! Stupid, stupid me!_

Seto whimpered again. "Everything's so fuzzy. You're… you're slipping away… Sakura…"

He then passed out.

Sakura had been watching in shock until that moment. He had called out to her. For help. Someone actually needed her.

She acted quickly. Sakura ran upstairs and grabbed a red towel from her bathroom. Coming back down, she managed to fall down half the stairs on her descent. Her pride was hurt, but not much else. Sakura quickly composed herself and ran back to the living room.

She reached out to Seto's head and tilted it upwards gingerly. His dark hair felt as silky it looked, but was stained by his own red blood.

_How can I be thinking about something so stupid at a time like this?_ Sakura ridiculed herself. _He needs help and I'm fantasizing about how gorgeous he is! Crap!_

She pushed the red towel under his head and rushed over to the phone. With trembling fingers, she managed to punch 9-1-1 into the keypad. The seconds ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. A woman's voice answered.

"City emergency department, how may I help you?" Her voice was comforting, but also bored.

Sakura was so scared for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. Finally, she answered, "I… I found a boy. In the field behind my house. He's hurt, but still breathing. I think he needs an ambulance."

"Where do you live?"

"Seven seventy-two Willow Street."

"And what is your name?"

"Sakura Takashi."

"We'll send an ambulance right over." the voice promised.

"Thank-you! Thank-you so much!"

"You're welcome."

Sakura hung up the phone and ran back over to where Seto lay, like an alabaster statue that was breathing ever so slightly.

_He'll be fine. People have lived through much worse than this._ But Sakura was still troubled.

She looked at him for some time. Sakura still couldn't get over his perfection. He must have been about seventeen; a bit older than herself, but something in his serious demeanour made him look older. Nevertheless, somewhere hidden in his face was youth.

Sakura was shocked when she realised she was indeed staring at his features and crying over his body. It was almost as if he entranced you once you looked at him. Seto held a glowing countenance. You simply couldn't look away.

_I don't even know him! Why do I care?_

But the more Sakura insisted that she didn't care, the more false her words seemed. This thought brought on a fresh wave of tears, leaving Sakura's heart open for anyone to break.

桜

Sakura had just managed to compose herself when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to reveal two men wheeling in a stretcher. Behind them was a single police officer. Sakura now heard the shrill sirens in the background.

The emergency team entered the house and Sakura had to describe Seto's injuries, her limited knowledge about him and virtually tell her whole life's story. Upon seeing the boy, everyone's eyes widened. Sakura couldn't fathom why. The officer nodded as he took notes, occasionally glancing up and looking into Sakura's eyes, perhaps to see if they held some trace of guilt or deceit.

The man then asked for some proof of identity. Sakura was scared for a moment. She didn't have a driver's licence yet and couldn't find her passport for love or money. Luckily, the officer then asked if she had a school identification card.

"Yes, I do! Just a moment!" Sakura nearly squealed in happiness.

The man looked confused at Sakura's sudden relief and kept a wary eye on her as she went to her purse and retrieved her card from her wallet. She brought it to the officer. He seemed convinced with the card and the facts of her story about the boy she had found in the field. Perhaps it was how genuinely upset Sakura seemed about Seto's injuries, or how her eyes seemed so harmless, that the man pressed no further questions.

Seto, still unconscious, was secured to the stretcher. The officer finished writing down Sakura's story and snapped his tablet closed.

Sakura turned to the men that were carefully lifting Seto's stretcher out the door. "Excuse me…" Sakura was nervous. What if they turned down her request?

The younger of the two men looked puzzled. "Yes?" he asked.

"I-I was wondering if I could…might, well, come to the hospital with Seto."

"Won't your parents need to know where you are?"

"Apparently not." The officer had broken into the conversation. "They're on a short business trip in Brazil, or so this girl tells me."

Sakura nodded her head, uncomfortable with how the officer was staring at her.

"Well then," the man continued slowly, "I suppose you can."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She had to know if Seto would be all right. And she wanted to be with him when she found out.

She quickly slipped on her shoes, not bothering with her coat for lack of time. It was bitterly cold outside, but Sakura was getting a ride to the hospital.

She rushed outside with the men, her eyes on Seto all the while. He was loaded into the ambulance and Sakura hopped in beside him. No one protested it. Her care for the boy was obvious and she shouldn't be deprived of Seto in his time of need.

One of the men who had delivered Seto's stretcher kneeled on the other side of the small bed. He checked Seto's pulse, his breathing, and wound a sterile bandage with a cotton pad underneath around his beautiful head. The man then proceeded to prick Seto's pale skin, taking a small blood sample.

Though Seto was probably in extreme pain (what else could have led him to blackout crying for help?), his features looked perfectly at peace, as he had been only a little more than an hour ago.

_Has it really only been an hour?_ Sakura speculated.

Already Seto had taken over her life and stirred her soul. Sakura felt an attraction to him obviously, but it was deeper than that. More than love. But what was that? Seto's face had been engraved upon Sakura's fragile heart. Anything she felt she could do, she would do for him.

桜

Sakura managed to maintain her dignity in the ambulance by not crying as she previously had. She did not move at all, she simply sat staring at her faint reflection in the window. Snow seemingly cascaded down her pale features, causing her thoughtful eyes to glitter with crystals.

The ambulance stopped suddenly making Sakura to jerk out of her meditative trance. The two men sprung into action, jumping out of the vehicle. They gently, but swiftly, began unloading Seto from the back and onto the snowy ground. Sakura jumped out lightly, landing on her knees.

Sakura walked into the hospital, following Seto as quickly as she could. She welcomed the warm air that flowed through her, a glad change from the winter wind outside.

"He's lost a lot of blood."

Sakura heard this whispered very quietly from one man to the other; Sakura presumed she wasn't supposed to hear it. The discussion continued between the two men as they walked down another hallway.

"We'll have to do a blood transfusion."

"Do you have the sample?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what type is he?"

"I have to test it."

"You mean you haven't yet? He _deserves_ the best this hospital has to offer!" the older doctor said forcibly. The younger one looked ashamed.

"I was out of application cards, but I kept the sample."

"Oh for the love of… never mind, let's get to the lab."

The men, Sakura and Seto reached a white door marked "Laboratory. Staff Only."

"Please wait out here with Mr. Kaiba."

Sakura wondered how they knew his name. Perhaps they had heard her talking with the police officer.

The two men stepped into the lab as the younger doctor pulled a test tube out of his pocket.

"Does she know who he is?"

She heard continued incredulous whisperings but ignored them.

Sakura was left alone, waiting tensely. To pass the time, Sakura imagined Seto waking up again. What would she say to him? Would he like her? Or, would he be one of those boys who wanted no help and no one. He could ignore her, as a puddle ignores all else except what it reflects.

After about ten minutes, the doctors emerged from behind the white laboratory entrance, mumbling something about B positive blood and a recent blood drive. "Ah, thank you, Miss." one said politely. Apparently, the men were finally done with their little tiff.

Through the hall, she heard shoes squeaking, trolleys clattering and voices whispered at every turn. Doctors and nurses stood to one side, quietly discussing unknown matters while scribbling madly on clipboards. Just another day at work for them. For Sakura, it was one of the most important days in her life.

The quartet finally made it to a door with the number one seventy-three engraved upon it. One doctor pushed the door open and they proceeded into the little white room.

稜

_I felt my body being lifted from a bed of sorts and placed on another. I was in the delicious state of being both awake and sleeping. Something was about to happen. I could sense it. To me, perhaps. A word was being mentioned repeatedly. Blood. Blood? What did that have to do with anything? Was I bleeding? Was I going to DIE? I needed to calm down. If I were about to die, someone would tell me, right? _

_What happened next was foreign to me. A needle, I think, was slipped under my skin, near my elbow. Something sticky held it there. I wished I could've seen it for myself, but I didn't seem to have the energy to open my eyes. Maybe that girl was there. Sakura, I believe. Was that all just a dream? Perhaps her jade eyes were no more than a figment of my imagination. It could have all been a fantasy. The thought saddened me. How could something so real suddenly become dubious so quickly? For that matter, what was truth and lies? I had no recollection of anything before Sakura. __What if nothing was real? _

_ Suddenly, I felt liquid flowing through my veins. Of course, my blood was there, but perhaps that's what they ment when they spoke of blood. Perhaps I was getting more. I think I was bleeding before, but I couldn't be sure. Energy surged through me, and I opened my eyes just a fraction, for I wasn't sure what I would see. _

_A thin line of scarlet trickled down my skin and more was being deposited into me through a tube connected to a bag. Why? Did I truly need more? From what body did this blood come? A million questions filled my mind as my brain swirled to comprehend the situation. Something was going on and I was completely oblivious to it. Why was I so stupid to faint in that girl's presence? Perhaps she did this to me! I had gotten here somehow…. _

_A thought tugged at the back of my memory, but I didn't have time for recollecting right now. Though my limbs were heavier than lead I had to rise and find Sakura, if she even existed. _

_Soon, something wrenched at my skin. I opened my eyes a crack again, this time wider than before. The needle was removed from my skin by some one I didn't know from my small store of memories. A strong-__smelling liquid was swabbed over the small hole that continued to draw out my crimson blood from within. A covering that was sticky on the outside was placed over the puncture. _

"I'm sure that Mr. Kaiba will be fine, Sakura. He just needs time."

_Sakura? If others spoke of her, then surely she was real!_

"I know, but I'm still worried about him."

_That voice again. The one that sang the melody that was unquestionably of the angels, though the song was about loneliness. She continued suddenly in a voice that sounded shy and scared._

"May I stay with him a little longer?"

"You may."

_Sakura was going to be near me? Moreover, she __**wanted**__ to be. I hardly knew her. Why should she have any desire to speak with me? _

_Suddenly, I felt another needle being inserted into my skin, this time on the opposite side. _

"For the pain. And it should help him sleep." _the foreign voice explained. But for what reason did I need sleep? Someone wished to talk with me and I was being requested to sleep! It was hardly a time to slumber._

_The door shut after the new voice said her farewells to Sakura after explaining the use of a call button. I knew how a call button worked for heaven's sake!_

_A thought hit me. Mokuba! Where was he? I knew he would be expecting me home by now! I shouldn't worry him like this. And what about my company?! They couldn't run it without me. I had to get up. I had to…_

_As suddenly as the door shut, a feeling of lethargy descended upon me. Before I came to terms with sleep, five things happened._

_First, using all my energy, I placed my hand over the arm where the blood had come out of and pressed down lightly with my fingers to explore the area with my hands as my eyelids were to heavy to raise. My loneliness was like the wound. Small but important. And it was still tender. I flinched._

_Second, I realised Sakura was like my heart. If it was taken away, I would surely die._

_Third, the angel's voice rang with a sadness that left my heart vulnerable. A song of sorrow and of peace was the unmistakable aura of Sakura's words._

_Fourth, though I did not realise it, my mind became clouded, and the only word I could think to call out was the sweet name of the cherry blossom._

_Sakura._

_Fifth, just before I fell into slumber, I realised something very important. We were both lonely and misunderstood from what I could gather. I, Seto Kaiba, and Sakura Takahashi, were the exact same._


	4. Sleepless Nights

_Swift as a shadow, short as any dream,  
Brief as the lightning in the collied night,  
That, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth;  
And ere a man hath power to say "Behold!"  
The jaws of darkness do devour it up:  
So quick bright things come to confusion._

_-A Midsummer Night's Dream-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

Sakura emerged from the front doors of the hospital into the cold night air. Her arms automatically tightened around her waist, fighting to keep out the glacial wind.

She thought back to when she was twelve. It was a class party and Sakura had been freezing outdoors as people threw snowballs at each other.

"It's so bitter out here! Can't we go inside now?" she had complained to her teacher.

"Shut up, idiot." one boy had said. "Maybe if you had some more body fat you wouldn't be so cold."

After throwing an icy snowball at her, he had run off.

Worst of all, her teacher did not comfort the girl who was on the brink of tears before her. She merely shook her head and walked away.

It had been years since that incident, but it still hurt. Does any scar of pain truly fade?

It was a long walk from the hospital to Sakura's home. At least ten blocks, more than she walked on a daily basis. And at night, after the sun sets and cities are shrouded in darkness, even the most gentle people can look sinister.

The near-full moon cast an eerie glow down on the city. It's face tonight was not one of comfort, it was one of coldness and distance. The unseen eyes peered down at people in an unfriendly manner.

Sakura was uneasy. It was dark and she was alone. How many countless horror stories had she heard about what happened to innocent girls walking the city streets at night? How many lives had been taken? Enough to terrify Sakura.

She walked on, hugging her arms around her and glanced back and forth tentatively. Sakura strode quickly over the sidewalks, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

Then it started to snow.

It was at least twice as cold now. The little frozen flakes landed on her skin and melted, creating an icy river down her neck. She shivered violently and felt her ears go numb. Sakura regretted not bringing her coat. Looking up the street she was on, she realized there were no taxis or buses in sight. And she didn't want to hitchhike.

The streets were busy with the talk and rush of strangers. The air reeked of exhaust fumes. To keep her mind off her predicament, Sakura thought back to the hospital room, something she'd been putting off. She didn't like reminiscing. Sometimes, if you go over things in your mind, you will realize a fact you never wanted to face.

_He called my name. But he has done that before. It doesn't mean anything, I guess. Though to think I am something to him in this world, that I could be his to hold…but there's a part of me that's hoping, and dreading at the same time, that he could love me. But I'm not sure if I could let him. Somewhere in my heart, I don't feel loved. Maybe I can't love either._

Soon Sakura was alone. The only sound was the pounding of her own feet. Streetlamps brightened the way, but between the patches of light was a darkness that pressed down on Sakura, making it hard to breathe.

The moon hid her face behind a veil of clouds, completing the onyx night. There were no stars. Mist hung lightly in the air, turning everything into a grey miasma.

Then a new sound emerged from the night's shadows. Ominous and innocent. The soft padding of feet.

Sakura froze on the sidewalk. She didn't dare to move, for fear of being seen. She stood as if paralyzed or bound by some invisible force. Only her eyes were free, looking everywhere but only seeing fog and darkness. Darkness that threatened to pounce, to kill. There was no escape from the night.

Her throat could not utter a single syllable, as if her vocal cords had stopped working, leaving behind a jumbled mess. Sakura's heart pounded, her mouth was dry and there was nothing she could do.

_Oh God, oh God, please save me! Save me! Don't let me die tonight, I'm too young!_

She started hyperventilating and praying, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself for whatever may come.

The pounding of feet grew a tiny bit louder. They came closer to her and even closer when something in Sakura snapped.

_Wait a minute! I could at least have a chance if I ran! Why sit here and wait for my death? I won't linger here for my own fate to be sealed!_

Her frozen feet responded immediately and soon were flying over the pavement. The ones behind her stopped their grim march for a moment before hurrying in Sakura's direction once again.

However, all the adrenaline in Sakura had made her more rapid than her pursuer. She glanced back for only a moment, but the fog gave no hint to an identity. Nothing was there.

She still was suspicious and scared that the thing would follow her still. Sakura didn't stop running until she reached her front door and plucked the keys from her front pocket before slamming the door shut. She began going around her house, locking up every door and window and closing all the drapes.

_I hope I'm not getting paranoid._

When she finished securing the house, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She walked slowly towards the living room and picked up _Romeo and Juliet _where she had left it earlier when Yuki called. But Sakura couldn't concentrate.

_Yuki. If she hadn't called, I never would have found Seto._

It was a depressing thought, life without him. _But I hardly know him. How can I love him? _

稜

Seto awoke with a start. The pain in his head was so sharp, it drowned out his every thought. Before, where there had only been black, a constant, throbbing ache emerged. He knew he was in the hospital by the sharp smell of antiseptic and the stiff cot he lay on. Seto fumbled in the dark for the call button.

_I hope they have painkillers on hand. I don't know how much longer I can take this._

A few minutes later, which seemed like an eternity to him, a grandmotherly nurse came into the room after knocking.

"What may I do for you, Mr. Kaiba? Are you feeling alright?"

"As a matter of fact, I feel horrible. Do you have anything to stop pain?"

The nurse laughed a wheezy laugh that Seto hated instantly.

"I'll be back in a minute, dear."

She rushed out of the room and came back only a moment later with a bag and an IV line.

_Looks like I'll be unconscious again. Is that the only cure? To fall into an empty sleep and forget everything?_

"Here you go Mr. Kaiba. This will help with the pain." The nurse proceeded to jab the line into his arm and then delicately place the bag on the stand next to his bed.

She left the room quietly without another word.

As Seto drifted into a state on the brink of unconsciousness, a thought occurred to him, though it had already been tugging at the corners of his mind, a mind already riddled with guilt and deceit

_Sakura. She saved me._

That's when he fell into a dark, dreamless slumber.

桜

Sakura glanced at the clock. Already it was midnight. She was still sitting in her chair with her book on her lap, not having read a single page. Sakura had far too much on her mind. It kept switching from Seto to her mysterious stalker. As an extreme understatement, it had been a remarkable day.

She sighed. Sakura decided she might as well go to bed.

_Tomorrow's Saturday. At least I don't have school to worry about on top of all this._

She went upstairs to her bedroom and slid out of the school uniform that she had worn all day and left it in a crumpled heap on the floor. Sakura donned her favourite set of blue silk pyjamas and sat on her bed, after making sure the window was locked.

Knowing she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night, she grabbed her English homework from her bag on the floor and a pen from the jar on her desk.

Writing on top of a text book, she managed to get the first question done satisfactorily, but the second answer turned out like this:

_2. Use a semi-colon in two sentences of your choice._

_**Seto has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen; are they not much better than my own? And he's so handsome; I know that truly love him. **_

Sakura decided her teacher wouldn't be impressed with this and erased her sentences. She tried writing it again, but ended up with this:

_**I wonder what Seto thinks about; could any of his thoughts be about me? I also wonder who was stalking me tonight; they appeared and disappeared so suddenly.**_

That wasn't exactly the best pair of sentences to submit either.

She thought for a moment about Seto's hospital bills. Being an only child had its advantages, of that she was certain. But would she pay? Did Seto have a family, a home?

_Does Seto feel the same about me as I do about him?_

Random thoughts came flooding through her head after the preceding one, and soon she had enough ideas to fill her homework sheet.

All of this was done to avoid pondering that last thought, for Sakura didn't know if she really wanted an answer yet.

All night long, she had no peace, no rest. There was much to ponder, much to consider. But she kept that one thought shoved in the back of her mind.

_I will go to the hospital tomorrow. Perhaps I will find out more about Seto. I wish he knew how he ended up in that field. But then, if he finds where he belongs, will I be left behind?_

稜

Seto awoke just as the dawn was breaking. He felt no pain and lingered on all his thoughts, his memories. And Sakura.

_Why did she save me? She doesn't even know me._

The early sun's rays shattered the onyx night and he continued to search his memories, trying to find truth. Cold snow touched his cheek, angel voices tempted his ears and pain suddenly ravaging his body.

Not finding the courage to face himself, he slipped back into his peaceful sleep.


	5. Buried Memories

Hello fanficcers! I just wanted to clear a few things up :D

a) I really appreciate all the reviewing you're doing on this story. I admit I'm writing a little hastily and this isn't my best, but I'll try.

b) One of the things I hate most is when characters fall for each other too fast. Seto was supposed to be completely drugged right then and there is some v. cool self-hatred in this chapter for thinking this way.

c) I'm really, _really, _sorry but I can't accept beta requests right now. My school is starting a new semester and I need to do some adjusting, but I'll definitely read and review.

d) The reason the semi-colon sentences aren't that good is because I wanted Sakura to stray away from being such an amazing student to show her half-reluctant want for Seto. He's such a distraction!

e) There are two symbols I use for page breaks, one is "Sakura" the other is "Seto" depending on who's viewpoint it is. (I got the name Sakura from one of the names I found and liked on )

Thanks for reading, here's the next instalment of Winter's Breath!

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_Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,  
Raze out the written troubles of the brain,  
And with some sweet oblivious antidote  
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff  
Which weighs upon the heart?_

_-Macbeth-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

"_Roland!"_

"Yes, master Mokuba?"

"Have you located my brother yet? He's been missing _all night."_

Mokuba had been up all night, waiting for the search team to bring back some discovery or occurrence of Seto. It was true that he had enemies, but he was too far respected (or so Mokuba liked to think) for someone to abduct him offhandedly. There had been no ransom note or calls. His cell phone had been tracked down. It was discarded along a random street which led to a dead end.

Roland finally spoke after he glanced at his notebook. "We've started calling hospitals, in case he was admitted to one. As soon as twenty-four hours are up, we'll be calling the police to file a missing person's report. There's nothing more I can do right now, master Mokuba!"

_You could find him! _Mokuba thought feverishly. His brother was all he had, his only family. He could not be… gone.

桜

Sakura looked at her alarm clock. It was seven in the morning. She hadn't slept at all as her mind was too full Seto and the mysterious chase last night. Sakura had listened to music, counted sheep (literally), and made up stories and wrote poems. Nothing had worked. So finally, she settled for closing her eyes and just thinking.

_I suppose the hospital wouldn't start visiting hours until about nine. I guess I'd better get up soon._

Sakura hauled her sleep-deprived body out of bed and walked heavily down the steps to the kitchen. She was starving and decided to have some breakfast, as she was actually starting to feel sick from being up all night. She needed all the energy she could get, but also needed something that would take a lot of concentration to create. Anything to keep her mind occupied.

Having decided on an apple soufflé, (which, prepared in this particular way, entailed a dreadfully complicated and extensive process) she set to work gathering ingredients. When she peeled the apples, she kept her mind on not cutting off her fingers or getting seeds in the bowl of finished slices. When she mixed, she made sure there were no lumps in the batter at all. However, when she put it in the oven, Sakura realised that she had to keep almost silent to make sure it wouldn't collapse.

She sat in a chair, with her head dizzily spinning and tried to keep her mind blank, like she had once in yoga during gym class. It had been a luscious feeling, both conscious and dreaming.

It worked. But this time the dreaminess wasn't just a feeling. Finally, Sakura had fallen asleep.

桜

Through her slumber, Sakura caught brief glimpses of light and dark; snatches of dreams that she couldn't recall. There was only one dream Sakura remembered.

In it, she kneeled beside a hospital bed that was bathed in a spotlight. Everything else was black. Curiously, the bed was empty. Sakura looked for Seto, wondering where he could be.

Then, a voice emerged from the blackness.

"Miss Takashi," the voice started. Sakura knew at one that it was Seto's. No one else had such a musical, velvety undercurrent.

He continued.

"Why did you even bother saving me? It's not like I need you. No one ever has. And they never will. You are just another useless, shy, cynical little girl, who thinks that they aren't afraid of anything but jumps at their own shadow."

Sakura was hurt. How could he say such things? Was he right?

"Sakura means 'cherry blossom'. Now let's see you wilt!"

Seto laughed then, a cold heartless laugh that rang in Sakura's ears as he reached out for her. Sakura felt tears trickle down her cheeks, leaving satiny paths.

She suddenly awoke, throwing her once lifeless body up from the chair. Sakura's neck was wet from the disappearing trails of the tears from her sleep. All was silent, a deep and perfect silence; so calm you could actually hear it in the air. It was almost tangible.

The dream had been disturbing for Sakura. All her hopes and dreams were tied around one thing. And that one thing was Seto.

She tried to stop thinking that way. She didn't know anything about him. He was a complete stranger. She didn't need him.

Sakura abruptly realised something. She _had_ never needed anyone before. She had been rejected her whole life, never truly being loved, cast in the shadows. But now, Sakura loved someone and yearned to see them with all her soul.

The cherry blossom had begun to open its petals. Still fragile, still delicate, but soon to become a flower, no matter how late in blooming.

桜

The sudden loud beep of the oven timer made Sakura jump. A sweet, golden smell curled into the air. Pleasant memories of her and her mother baking surfaced in her mind, making her smile despite the dream.

She especially remembered when she was about six and was making the same recipe she was now…

_"Just put in a little milk, Sakura. The batter is too thick."_

_"Okay, mama."_

_I accidentally poured in a whole cup. Mom didn't scold me, she just laughed and started over._

Sakura put on her oven mitts and held back what was both a sob and a laugh. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed having her mom and dad home. The large house felt so empty with just Sakura in it.

She removed the beautiful soufflé from the oven, hungrier than ever, and was glad it made a generous portion. Sakura set it down on the table and gently placed it onto a plate, managing not to flatten it. She grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge, a glass from the cupboard and snatched a fork and knife from the utensil drawer, eager to eat. Everything looked so good.

Sakura sat down at the cherry wood table and poured a glass of juice. She quickly said grace before she ate, then tried a little piece of her creation. Cinnamon and apple pastry danced across her tongue, making her momentarily forget she had any problems.

Sakura looked out the window. It was snowing again. She turned to her plate, taking bite after wonderful bite. Soon, she put her fork down to take another mouthful only to find that the plate was empty.

She smiled, forcefully pushing the dream into the back of her consciousness. This was going to be a good day. Sakura would see Seto. That was all she could ask for.

Standing up from the table, she cleared her dishes and checked the time. It was eight sixteen. _If I get ready now, I could catch a taxi to the hospital and be there at about nine. Maybe I'll do a little shopping after…_

She padded up the stairs to her room, dithering over what to wear. When Sakura got to her closet, the black sweater she had wanted to wear was in the wash, so she decided to wear her green one. Her mother had always said that it went well with her eyes. She threw on black jeans and a jade necklace that she wore for special occasions. Sakura ambled over to her little en suite bathroom, combed through her thick, dark hair, and brushed her teeth. She put on a little makeup, not wanting to seem too eager for a boy she hardly knew. Sakura ran downstairs and put on her black boots and her coat. She picked up her coat, making sure she had her cell phone, and locked the door.

It was still snowing and the flurries were starting to pile up in the driveway. Luckily, the man who usually did the Takashi's driveway would be coming on Monday. Sakura traipsed through the powder snow, a strange exhilaration filling her as she inhaled the icy air. She walked up a couple streets where there was more traffic- and hopefully a taxi.

_I sure wish I could drive. It would save a lot of trouble._

Sakura waited a few minutes, tapping her foot impatiently. A blue car rolled up. A teenage boy peered out, a sneer of malice on his face

"Need a ride?"

Sakura looked at the face for a long time. It was _that boy._ The one she had never wanted to see again. She stalked away, without saying anything, to a different street, painfully aware of the tears running down her cheeks. Sakura thought she had put him out of her mind for good. Why did his memory keep coming back to haunt her? Why did he have to spoil Sakura's morning? Why did she hate him so much?

It was simple. He had broken her heart.

Sakura walked on, ignoring the memories that threatened to break out of the confinement she had put them in.

Sakura saw a taxi coming down the road and waved her arms wildly as it approached. The cab stopped and pulled up to the curb where Sakura stood. She hopped in the back.

The driver was an older man with greying hair. "Where to?"

"North End Hospital, please."

She huddled in the back seat, glad it was warm and hoping the cab driver wasn't the chatty type. She put her hands in her pockets and struggled to stop dwelling on the old memories, shoving them back into the little room in her head where she kept unpleasant things. Usually, the room had a door that locked up tight. But sometimes, the key went missing and Sakura had to suffer through the mental parade of recollections. Today though, the key was found quickly and everything was wiped away.

The ride was spent in silence and the driver pulled up to the visitor's entrance of the hospital. Sakura paid the man what he was due, plus a tip, and thanked him.

The man smiled. "No problem little missy." The cab pulled away from the curb, leaving Sakura in the cold morning air.

She headed inside to the main lobby's front desk.

"Excuse me…" Sakura said, waiting for the receptionist to reply,

The woman was middle aged, bespectacled and had thin brown hair. "Yes? How can I help you?" She smiled as she said it, and it annoyed Sakura to no end.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where Seto Kaiba is staying."

The lady's face seemed shocked for a minute, but she composed herself quickly. The smile was gone. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you that. Mr. Kaiba is a top-priority client right now and I was instructed to try to not disturb him."

Sakura was not used to how hospitals worked as she had never been in one. She decided to bargain with the woman.

"Could you please, _please _just call him or something?"

The receptionist considered it. This girl could not be family; Seto Kaiba had no family except for his younger brother. This girl had no reason to see him, unless she was some mindless, admiring girl who sought to "comfort" Mr. Kaiba. And he _hated _people like that.

Seeing that the girl was not moving, she asked another question, hoping she would leave. "What is your relation to Mr. Kaiba?"

"I saved him. I found him in the field behind my house and I called for the ambulance. _Can I please see him?_"

The receptionist sighed. That explanation seemed at least somewhat legitimate. She had heard a girl had accompanied Mr. Kaiba here.

"He's on the seventh floor, room one hundred and thirty-three. _Tell no one."_

Sakura was surprised at the ferocity with which the receptionist said that. Sakura thanked her weakly and almost ran to the elevators, longing to be free of the woman behind the desk. She pushed the up button and almost immediately, the doors swooshed open to an empty elevator. Sakura walked in, crinkling her nose from the strong smell of medicine, and touched the button for the seventh floor.

稜

Seto was in the middle of having a worrying fit.

_Why won't anyone let me use the phones here! I really don't have the time to just sit here in some hospital and recover. I have a company to run and better things to do with my time. And Mokuba! He must be worried out of his skull! How long have I been missing? _

A new thought, coming through the happy black of painkillers, hit Seto. _I hate that girl. She stuck me in here! I bet she was a part of the whole thing! It's all her fault. The _second _I get back to Kaiba Corp., I will have her tracked down. Maybe they've already incarcerated her. What a shock that would be, the justice system working properly for once. _He smirked for a minute at the prospect of someone besides his self, doing something useful. But his current prospects were no very laughable.

_I have to get out of here. Now._

桜

The elevator was quite fast and Sakura's destination was reached in a matter of seconds. The doors opened and she walked out into a deathly silence.

_Aren't hospitals supposed to be louder than this? Maybe that's what "top-priority" means. No one has to bother you._

She walked briskly down the hallway and realized the doors were placed quite far apart. _One thirty, one thirty one… ah! There's one thirty-three!_

She knocked on the door.

An angry, beautiful voice issued form inside.

"Whoever you are, you'd better have a really damn good reason for coming here."


	6. Fire and Ice

_Here's ado to lock up honesty_

_And honor from th'access of gentle visitors._

_-The Winter's Tale-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

* * *

"So, how much did you find on the guy? He looked pretty rich." A dark-haired man leaned against the wall.

A younger man took out a leather wallet with the initials _S.K._ embossed in the leather. The man took out a small fistful of cash.

"'Bout five thousand yen. Looks like the guy didn't carry much cash. But he's got about seven cards in here!"

The elder man quit his perch by the wall and went to the other man who was staring at the Visa card.

"Look, we got the money; we ain't starting the whole card thieving thing again. It didn't end up so well last time."

The young man dropped the cards and stuffed the wad of cash into his pocket.

The older man mumbled, "It was hardly worth it. That guy was fighting back. He could've taken us if you hadn't hit him with his briefcase…" Then he shuffled off.

But the young man was thinking of something he had saw that day. Sakura. He had a grudge and he meant to fulfill it. But _how_ was the question…

桜

Sakura's hand paused at the door. There were two very clear options here: go inside and risk facing the monster that had Seto had somehow become or run faster then ever before.

The voice yelled from inside again. "If you're coming in, then do it. _Now._ Cowardice is not something that is valued among anyone and I don't have the time to put up with this."

Sakura opened the door slowly, exhaling before she did so. He was just some guy. Why did he hate her like this when they barely knew each other? Especially when he had been so kind to her earlier…

She walked into the room and everything lifted for a moment. Though furious, he was beautiful. Clear blue eyes glaring at her, pale skin, smooth brown hair… he was stunning.

Seto glowered more intensely. Why wasn't she afraid? She looked happy, dreamy. Didn't she know who he was?

Sakura decided she should break the silence. It took a lot of effort to try and soften the hard cerulean eyes before her. "So, you're Seto Kaiba. My name is Sakura… of course, you might remember that. I mean, you were in pain, and then on morphine and… um…" she faltered and stopped. The awkward stillness did not lessen and Seto stared back, refusing to budge, for a moment, just to make her uncomfortable.

"Unfortunately, I _do_ happen to know who you are. You were in my Year Twelve History course. Why you were there, as you are obviously inferior in age, I do not know and do not care."

Sakura stared, almost open-mouthed, as this little tirade from the boy she had _saved_ continued.

"I suppose I must offer some degree of gratefulness for the way you…" this hurt Seto, and he grimaced as he said it, "_rescued_ me yesterday. I will compensate you for your trouble, and I ask that you please leave now."

Sakura found herself, not crying, as she had expected, but getting _mad_. This guy was more than just egotistical, he was a _jerk_! You can't just get saved by someone and then say "I'll pay you, now go away."

Sakura felt her face flush, but not from embarrassment like Seto had deduced from his hospital bed. She was ready to tear a strip off of him.

"_Who do you think you are Seto Kaiba?!"_

This was not what Seto had been expecting. He had expected tears, hopeless, pathetic things that they were, but anger? Never had he been yelled at like that in his life, and definitely not by some stranger.

"Who am I? I am Seto Kaiba! You just told me that!"

"_So WHAT?"_

Seto was shocked and did not respond for a moment. _Everyone knows who I am. My face is everywhere, my name on everything! She's playing stupid!_

"Of course you know me! Or maybe the name 'Kaiba Corp.' rings a bell inside that empty head of yours? I'm the founder and CEO."

Sakura was shrieking now and wondered in the sane part of her brain (the part she was ignoring) if she should really be behaving like this in a) a hospital and b) towards a total stranger.

_"I've never laid eyes on you _or_ heard of your company. I wish I never had and hope I never will!"_

The ties she had once felt for Seto were breaking now. It had been short-lived infatuation, nothing more. All the sweetness that had once been there was gone and there was a crazy narcissist left in that place.

Seto was now amazed. _She was telling the truth! She wasn't just trying to be nice to me because I was famous, like everyone else. Still, she is a silly little person, just like everyone else. But I feel… guilty. Is this conscience?_

Seto was not ashamed of himself; he never was and never planned on being so. But he was not _proud_ either. Looking back, he seemed to have lost a bit of dignity in the shouting match.

Sakura was too busy to read Kaiba's face. She turned for the door and planned to run out of it as soon as possible. This was probably one of the worst days of her life.

Kaiba called out to her though. "Wait! Sakura!"

She looked back. Was there… _regret_ in his face? Someone so haughty should not be capable of remorse or anything that signifies an good heart.

"What do you want, _Mr. Kaiba?"_ She said his name scathingly. "I want nothing to do with you."

Kaiba's regret was still there, but he was not in the habit of apologizing to people outrightly.

He addressed her with formality. "Miss Takashi, I…" he bit back on the "sorry" he had been about to say and made his voice colder in the presence of her heat. "I need your phone number so I may make the proper compensations."

"I don't want your money. I have more than enough myself."

"I never said it was necessarily money. Now, could I… please... have your phone number?"

Sakura trod over flippantly to the bedside table and scribbled her number on the top piece of paper, ripped it off and threw it at him.

"There. Good bye, Mr. Kaiba."

And with that, Sakura ran from the room, trying to hide the tears of anger that had welled up in her eyes.

稜

Seto was sitting on his bed and replaying the conversation in his mind. _That was wrong of me. I have higher standards and better things to do with my time than yell at people about my own identity._

_But his train of thought shifted as other nagging thing that had been crammed to the back of his head emerged._

_I need to call Mokuba. How will he know where to find me? Roland should have started calling hospitals hours ago. That's one of the first emergency procedures! And what of my company! I need to check the stocks, edit that report and send Todei an email on his investments and…_

His mind was soon drowned in the business of his company and his mind became very full and very busy. He could not feel the guilt right then, or anything else for that matter, and forgot where he was entirely. He forgot about Sakura. He forgot about everything except for his self and his company.

Thus, he was duly startled when a nurse burst through the door and practically sang, "Lunch time, Mr. Kaiba!"

Seto nearly fell off of his bed and felt his eyes widen at this woman's frightfully cheerful mood. If one had been listening closely, they might have heard the stream of profanities that passed under his breath (somewhere managing to include "accursed nurse!") and other words people deserve to be slapped for.

Seto Kaiba's thoughts became very convoluted at that point, but in the back of his head, the guilt was stored and ready to pounce when his brain became calmer.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone (hands out Seto plushies). This chapter is a bit short, but I felt like the fight needed its own chapter! I'll try to update soon, but I'm not sure how soon "soon" is. :(


	7. First Rule

_Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps._

_-Much Ado About Nothing -_

_-William Shakespeare-_

Once outside the room, all Sakura could feel was anger welling up inside of her and threatening to spill over again. Another feeling started coming back too. _Ashamed._ Maybe it was just her usual apologetic nature, but she felt as if she, too, was in the wrong.

_I don't want to think about this right now. _

Sakura's mind was racing from the encounter and she continued to torment herself as she walked down the hallway towards the elevators. She pressed the "down" button much harder than necessary and, for a moment, was afraid she'd broken it. But the doors slid open sleekly and Sakura stormed into the elevator. The only other person in there was a tri-coloured haired boy carrying a bouquet of flowers. She was so busy throwing insults at herself and at Kaiba that she crashed right into him. Sakura landed on top of the flowers, squishing them beyond repair and felt the boy land on her.

The boy looked terrified at the thought of some angry girl attacking him, so after some weak apologies, he practically jumped out of the elevator, muttering all the while.

Sakura let the door close and slid down the back wall, and tried to not think of anything. The elevator stopped then and Sakura brushed off her coat and walked outside.

She didn't want to go home right then. All the time by herself would indefinitely lead to over-thinking, which she wanted to avoid at all costs.

A bus pulled up to the corner then with its sign declaring it was headed for the West Side Shopping Centre. _Not exactly what I had in mind, but at least it will keep me busy._

She ran down the slushy sidewalk towards the bus that was now opening its doors. She waited for some other individuals to get on before she did; ploughing down more people didn't seem like a worthwhile pastime.

Sakura was glad when the heat of the bus washed around her. She handed her fare to the driver, settled down in one of the cracked vinyl seats and leaned against the window.

Outside, Sakura saw people rushing through the snow that was quickly piling up and entering the cozy confines of the downtown shops. She often wondered about the people. Were they cold? Where were they going? When they woke up in the morning, were they alone? Did they have hopes, dreams? Soon, these thoughts trickled away from a narrow gap in the bottom of her mind, and a fresh rain of ideas began to fall. Sakura tried to hold these thoughts back.

She pondered over what she would do, where she would go when she went to the mall. Each time the subject of Kaiba came up, she'd run from it. He was nothing, nothing. _I don't need him, I don't like him…_ She repeated it over and over, a silent mantra, but she could not fully believe it herself.

The bus lurched to a sudden stop and Sakura saw that the bus had arrived at its destination.

_Time flies when you're having fun,_ Sakura thought grimly to herself.

Passengers were hurrying up the aisle. Sakura considered just staying on the bus to see where it went next, but she hauled herself out of here seat and emerged in the fresh air.

She pushed her way through the crowd of Saturday afternoon shoppers and was conscious of every scent, every breeze, that stirred the air; it made it easier for her to ignore the dialogue from earlier that was playing on repeat. Sakura ran up the stairs to the second level. With each tap of her boot on the steps, she thought _no, no, no!_

She went into several shops, not seeing anything, ignoring everyone around her. She put her hands over her ears. All the voices were crowding in around her. The noise was deafening. All the colours were garish, shapes were smeared as if they were made of wet paint that had been touched too soon.

She tried to overlook the inside of her and the outside too. There was too much. Her body couldn't take it.

Sakura dropped to her side and willed everything to dim down slowly. First, the noise: she became deaf. Then the colours, the shapes. Closing her eyes was not enough, the light of everything danced behind her eyelids in a red haze.

It was infuriating. All she wanted was black.

She fell headlong into it, finally found some temporary peace.

桜

Someone was shaking her. "Miss, miss," he said.

All the colours and sounds were coming back now. She was still on the floor of a shop; people were staring openly, as if she couldn't see. Sakura could see, and she was very embarrassed. She stood up and after a moment, her legs were certain in their stead.

"I'm fine." A blush colored Sakura's cheeks and she began to dust off her coat. The man in front of her wore a police uniform. _They called _security, her brain clued her in. _You have officially made on idiot of yourself._

The man withheld her. "You need to see a doctor. I can't just let you walk out of here in your condition."

He was concerned, Sakura was vehement. "I am _fine._"

The security guard wouldn't take no for an answer. He offered Sakura a ride.

_My day can't get worse in any conceivable way. _

Another though struck her though, and it made her day much worse.

_If I see Kaiba again, I will die._

稜

"Master Mokuba!"

The young boy turned around instantly and his voice was colored with passion. "Did you find him?!"

"Yes, sir, we've located him at the North End Hospital!"

Mokuba was instantly relieved but his tone became all the more ardent. "Then let's go! Roland! Bring a car around!"

稜

Seto Kaiba was, for lack of a better word, disappointed.

He had watched to bus leave and seen the girl that had left on it. He felt guilty for her departure and her madness. He uncrumpled the paper that had landed on his chest. Tracing his fingers over the numbers, he made a promise, and any promises he made were few and far between.

_I'll make it up to her. My first rule is "Never owe anyone."_

Hey! Another short chapter, bit I feel like all these events need to be their own section! Thanks for the continued support!


	8. False Hatred

Whoa, I'm a BAD person. It's been too long since I updated, and I'm sorry. School, you know, that penitentiary thingy, is what kept me. Blame the school system!

Anyway, enjoy!

_"He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health,  
a boy's love, or a whore's oath."_

_(King Lear, William Shakespeare)_

* * *

Sakura's brow furrowed deeper as she was strapped down into a stretcher. "I do _not_ need to go to the hospital!" The paramedic said nothing, and Sakura would have thought he had not heard if there wasn't a smile that appeared around his lips. "Miss, you're confused. You just fainted. Everything is going to be fine."

Sakura felt mad. He was trying to comfort her, and in that moment she hated him with every bone in her body.

The single sheet on the bed was thin and scratchy. It could not comfort her. It, too, angered her and threw her mouth into her ready-to-scream position. She tried to flip her hair out of her eyes, but the paramedic took it as a possible attempt to break free. His hands pressed down on Sakura's body, he was hurting her ribs. Sakura was mad. Her first thought was _Get. Off. Me. NOW. _Her second thought surprised her: _I want my mom._

She was loaded into the back of the ambulance. It was only yesterday she had hopped into one with a boy she thought the most handsome she had ever seen. Now, ever time she thought of a thing she hated, Seto's face came to mind.

稜

Mokuba Kaiba flashed his student card, the only thing that showed a legal claim on Seto, at the nurse. "It's true. I'm his brother. Let me see him!"

The nurse pursed her lips. She had a quiet deliberation going on inside, but in the end, she permitted it.

Mokuba's violet-grey eyes softened and, to his pre-teen horror, moisture formed a thin film around the corners. "Thank you." he said softly.

He walked into the elevator by himself. Roland had had the good sense to let the brothers talk first, and then bring in the official business. It had been over a day, and all the night before, Master Mokuba had cried in his sleep (the housekeeper had told him, and she was a reliable source of information).

Mokuba pushed the button for the seventh floor and felt himself getting more and more anxious as each second passed. _He's okay. He's okay._ He had to remind himself, because last time he remembered a hospital was the one Seto told him of, where their father had been…

His mind finished drifting as the elevator doors slid open, chrome on chrome. He rushed down the hall, knowing he could not stop until he found his brother's door.

He clutched his card-shaped locket. _All I ever want, all my life, is you, Seto._

稜

There was a knock on the door and Seto Kaiba almost jumped out of his bed. For someone who was never surprised, this was a big deal. He had already stowed away Sakura's phone number in the drawer of the night table and had gotten to work, with pad and pencil, composing the average revenue of the quarter so far.

But when he heard that knock, his first thought was _if it's Sakura, I'll slap her._ But a different voice, boyish, came through the door and his mind softened. _Mokuba. My brother. He's come!_

Mokuba didn't wait for Seto to respond to his knocking, he simply ran into the room and stopped before his brother's bed, staring.

Seto looked at him, and there was quiet in the room for a mere second before Mokuba sat on his bedside and reached out for an embrace.

_When is the last time he did that? Just... reach out for me?_

Seto smiled and held his little brother close for just one minute. Mokuba's eyes spilled over onto Seto shoulder and his words were muffled. "Seto, I missed you! I had Roland looking everywhere; we had our trackers look for you… Seto, Seto…"

Seto's eyes opened and he was thoughtful. _Mokuba needs me. He misses me when I'm gone… how many people can I say that about? Mokuba…_

_Just him._

桜

Sakura had decided she was done fighting. She lay limply in her stretcher; the only muscle she moved was her mouth, which was pulled down in a hateful grimace of disdain.

She had been watching the ambulance driving looking out the back window. She felt dizzy. But she only started feeling sick when she saw where the vehicle pulled up to: _North End Hospital._

Sakura's head flopped back to the pillow. She could think of a million reasons she didn't want to be here: _Number One: Seto Kaiba is here. Number Two:…_

She tried calming herself down. _It's a big hospital. There are ten floors with a lot of rooms on each one. What are the odds of being on the same floor, near the same room…with my luck, I'll say it will undoubtedly happen._

稜

Mokuba had left a few minutes ago and an orderly had just told him he would be free to go in the morning. Everything was peaceful.

A rattling noise and two loud voices crept into Seto's room. One was female. "No. _No!_ You cannot mean this floor... GAH! No, no, no nonononooooo! Isn't there anywhere else you can put me?!"

A quiet, soothing intonation came then, shushing the female. "Calm down miss, you'll hurt yourself."

With a flash of panic, Seto recognized the womanly voice.

_You have GOT to be kidding me._

桜

Sakura looked around her room. Chair. Table. Window. Bed. Everything was a pristine white. _Why is it all white?_ Sakura was dazed. She couldn't remember her room number so she couldn't judge how close she was to Kaiba. She unhooked her IV bag from the stand and, holding it over her head, crept over to the west wall and listened. Nothing. She did the same to each wall, but all was quiet. The silence, the whiteness, it was so unnatural. The sound of silence pressed at her ears and it made Sakura feel like she had gone deaf but didn't know it yet. On her way back to her bed, she brought her foot down harder than necessary on the shiny white floor. At least there was sound, something to chase away the deaf noise.

She sat on her bed and hung up the IV. Weren't there any books, magazines? All there was was white. She opened up the bedside table's drawer. Empty. She looked under the bed. Nada.

She finally resigned to opening up the door and going out for a walk in the hallway. Sakura forced herself to think that it was because she was bored. But all she wanted to know was where Seto was.

_Am I actually allowed to leave? _Sakura thought about running back to her room and counting floor tiles, but the urge to see Kaiba's room was stronger. _One thirty-three. Where is it? _Sakura's pace increased, the IV stand trailing along behind her. _It was on this floor. I know it._ Sakura raced down the hall, but couldn't find his room. She reluctantly went back to her own, one thirty-six. But she had a feeling he was close. She turned around, and his room was across the hall from hers.

She wanted to turn the door handle, to see him again. _I love him, I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM._

Sakura fled to her own room and snapped the door shut behind her.


	9. Nighttime Walks

"What's gone and what's past help  
Should be past grief."

(The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare)

He had been dreaming of a single thing ever since he had fallen asleep. _I owe her._ He thought of things that were valuable. His money, his company, his home. She didn't want anything to do with them. They were all necessary things of a human life, which for him had gathered with startling speed and were useful to him. But for all of it, they were worthless accumulated treasures. _What is mine, and no one else's? Rare…_ His cards? No, they were beyond giving; she would not use or want them. _Think harder, Seto, rarity, purity, __**valuable.**__MOKUBA?_ _Don't be unreasonable! He is not something to be sacrificed, given over in payment! Then there is only one thing left, something delicate and wounded that you would never give up._

_Love._

桜

Sakura opened her eyes to the blank ceiling and sighed. How long had it been since the nurse left? She had had monitors of every kind coming from her, but they were unhooked now. One night was what they promised; one night was all they said. Just to make sure she was safe.

She looked at her hands. Once they had been unscarred and blemish-free. Now the blood pulsed behind the narrow needle of the IV line and would leave a pale circle, a mark of this day.

She turned to the sole timekeeper in the room, a clock above the bed she had not noticed before. It said three-thirty. _Morning or afternoon?_ Sakura deftly wondered. There were no windows here. She recalled passing a sunroom beforehand in her frantic search to find Seto's room. There were windows there, where she could see the sky.

Out of her room she tiptoed in case it was morning. As usual, the halls were empty and the only detectable sound was a weak buzzing, perhaps a murmuring of voices or machines.

It was down the second corner at the end of the square hallway. At the end of the first corner, a shape wandered down the hallway. Sakura pulled herself and her IV stand behind the wall and watched. Originally, in this dim lighting of the corridors, Sakura had thought it was going the opposite direction and it would pass. But it came closer with each precise step.

_A doctor?_ Sakura thought it sounded too well in its footing to be a sick person. Besides, there was no IV accompanying the moving shape.

The person passed a window and through the pulled down shade, Sakura saw pale skin and shining cobalt eyes. _Kaiba._

Sakura would not run from him. She went out to greet him instead.

His eyes widened and his pace stopped upon the recognition of the girl. _Sakura._

Seto's eyes snapped back to their familiar hardness, as if a shell had been drawn over them. He was fierce. "What are you doing up at three in the morning Takashi?" His voice snapped down on the name.

Sakura said plainly, "I wanted to see if it was the morning ort he afternoon, my clock didn't tell me and my room is windowless."

Seto showed her his watch, which, although was twenty-four hour time and very fine silver, was digital.

"See, it says '0300. This is three in the morning." Seto felt burning inside of him. _I owe you._

Sakura's teeth clenched. "I know."

Seto smirked. "Good for you. Do you want a gold star?"

Sakura's vision clouded. "Are you ever a nice person?"

"To those deserving." Every word was harder to get out.

Sakura felt moisture in her eyes, and she tried to burn it out with fire in her voice. "No one deserves anything from you, not even the most hated person." She paused, standing on the border of the line she was about to cross: his name, the truth.

"Seto," she started, relishing how he hated her calling him by his first name, "I hate you."

She felt the tears prick and left as quickly as she had came.

稜

Seto was left standing alone in the hall. Tears had never bothered him; he thought he had become immune to them. Someone had to lose, someone had to win. The loser (which was never him) cried. Female employees tried to soften Kaiba's judgment on them through their tears, but they meant nothing.

Mokuba rarely cried, but when he did, Seto allowed his heart to soften for him; it was not a natural instinct.

But this girl's tears, spilled against her own accord, touched a nerve. They had found some hidden bruise and gouged it with the sharp sting of their saltwater. Something about them was startlingly real about them.

Seto tried on his most infamous mask. It came out of the bin labeled, for all to see, "I Don't Care."

桜

Somewhere in the dark of the house, a voice cackled. _Soon enough Sakura, your time will come._ He counted out the stolen money and blew out the candle.

稜

Mokuba didn't want to spend another night in his house without his brother in the room next to him. Many times, Mokuba would simply crawl into his brother's room while he was already asleep. In the morning, Seto would awake with his little brother cuddled up next to him. It was as if the only time they could spend together was when they were sleeping.

Mokuba opened up his locket and looked at Seto when he was much younger. His eyes were open then and they were filled with light. His features were rounder and he was smiling, a rare occurrence now.

Mokuba went down the carpeted hall and, once in Seto's room, pressed the button that turned off all of the lights on the third floor. Everything blackened and he pushed open his door.

He felt his way over to the bedside table where he turned on his brother's bedside lamp and climbed into bed. He could almost imagine he felt Seto shift in the blankets and this comforted him.

He turned off the lamp so he could make-believe he was there more efficiently. Mokuba's last words of the night echoed everywhere: "Goodnight, Nii-sama."


	10. Pride and Pretenses

_To be, or not to be, that is the question:_  
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer  
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,  
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles  
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,  
No more; and by a sleep to say we end  
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks  
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation  
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep…

(Hamlet, William Shakespeare)

* * *

Sakura pressed her nose onto her sheets. _Home. I'm finally home._ There was no scent, like her shampoo and dust. But it was how she had gotten there that disturbed her.

In the morning she had been tired and broken from her night before. Nothing had seemed at all real since she had said those fatal words: _I hate you._ In retrospect, it had been very childish. But it was out now, and she did not have to internalize her hatred anymore.

Nonetheless, she had been waked by an orderly and delivered breakfast. While she ate, who burst in but Mister Kaiba himself. Sakura had dropped her empty juice cup on the floor. Some one had brought him clothes; he was no longer in his hospital gown. Her face burned as she threw her thoughts away from his body and looked at his face. She gulped when she saw the expression: cold and outright hatred.

After a moment, she began to speak in a whisper. For the first time in her life, she felt fear towards this man. "K-Kaiba. Did you g-get," she searched for the word, "discharged?"

He did not answer for a minute, reading the fear in his opponent's eyes. Then he spoke, ignoring the subject. "Takashi, if you ever run off in the middle of a conversation like that again, I will find your house, break your door down and demand you to speak to me properly." He cleared his throat. "Secondly, I know _you_ are being discharged this morning and I would like to offer you a ride home. Do you agree?"

Sakura could only stare at him. _Is he bipolar or something? _She nodded.

"Then I advise you hurry and finish your breakfast. I leave in fifteen minutes from the front lobby." With that, he slammed the door and swiftly walked away.

Sakura gawked, mouth open, at the door from which he had entered and exited. She looked at the glazed mug on the floor. The handle had broken off. The same orderly (Sakura had never heard her name) opened the door and found her charge staring at a broken cup on the floor. She coughed and asked gently, "Are you feeling well, Miss Takashi? Any weakness?"

Sakura recovered and addressed her. "No, I was just caught off guard and dropped my mug. Um… I was wondering if I would be able to leave in the next ten minutes?" she said in a rush.

The orderly's eyes opened wide. "Miss, you need to have a thorough examination by a doctor before we permit you to be discharged!"

Sakura was indignant. "But you said I could leave this morning!" _If I keep Seto Kaiba waiting, he will leave and I'll have to take a taxi home. Besides, he was nice enough to offer me a ride…_

The nurse sighed. "I can try to get our resident doctor in, but he might be a few minutes."

Sakura eyed her. "How long, precisely, is a few minutes?"

"Ten."

_Too long, but that seems to be the earliest!_

"Well, if that is the case, could you ring down to the front lobby and have a message sent to Seto Kaiba that I'll be a bit later? I have to meet him downstairs in fifteen minutes."

Sakura was not prepared for the impact this would have on the orderly.

"_The _Seto Kaiba? CEO of KaibaCorp?"

In eight minutes, a doctor had been called, Sakura examined and her discharge papers signed. She walked down to the lobby from the elevators while the orderly made frightened tutting noises, frequently checking her watch. Sakura met him five minutes early, inhaling sharply when she saw his severe profile. The orderly made gasping noises and punched the up button for the elevator four times too many. The room was silent.

Silently, Kaiba held the door for her and they walked out to what looked like a black car.

Then, the entirety of its length came into view. _A limo!? _Sakura thought. _I've been in limos before but… wow. Never one this fancy!_

The driver stepped out and opened the door for Seto who entered first. Sakura slid in next to him and found he was closer than expected. Someone was on the other side of him, chatting avidly.

"…and then I got into a duel with Aryan and I won his best card and I wanted to show you and your stocks got updated and they are up two hundred and fourteen points up and the numbers for the last quarter are in and we left them in your office vault for you and-" That was when Mokuba noticed there was another person in the limo with them. He couldn't believe it. When was the last time Seto had brought someone in the car with them? Aside from various business associates, never. Big brother had never made sociality one of his better known points, except when demanded from his work. He craned his neck to see over Seto's shoulder.

_She's pretty. But why is she here?_

Kaiba let Mokuba examine the girl for a minute, and then made what his interpretations of introductions were.

"Mokuba, this is Takashi Sakura. Takashi, my younger brother Mokuba, vice president of KaibaCorp.

_Vice president?_Sakura thought, _He can't be more than twelve!_

_Vice president? _Seto thought, _Why did I say that? She'll probably try and kidnap him on a bribe now._

_Vice president? _Mokuba thought, _What kind of introduction is that?!_

There was silence for a moment in the limo. Mokuba timidly broke it. "So, uh, Miss Takashi, can I get you a drink?" He gestured lightly to a fridge at their feet. Sakura was unsure whether to say yes in politeness or decline because of Kaiba's unwavering glare.

Mokuba made her mind up for her and threw her a bottle of cherry soda and got himself a bottle of root beer.

"You want anything, big brother?"

"No."

The ride seemed long and Sakura began to wonder if Kaiba knew where she lived.

"Kaiba," she started, not wanting to offend him, "do you know where my house is?"

Mokuba grimaced. Most people who questioned Seto were not happy afterwards.

"Yes, I do," was his short reply. Sakura decided to not even ask how.

Mokuba decided to diffuse this terribly awkward ride. "Takashi-"

"Call me Sakura." she interrupted.

"Okay, Sakura, what grade are you in?" Mokuba hated small talk.

"I'm on the tenth grade, but I'm mostly taking grade twelve courses. It's just math I don't think I'll ever quite be able to advance up to…"

Mokuba, the forever optimist, was glad to continue the conversation. "Wow, that's great! Maybe Seto could help you! He's the top of his AP calculus class and he always helps me with my homework!"

Sakura couldn't help smiling at the easy-going nature of the boy. But Kaiba was not smiling. "Well, I don't know if I…"

"Oh, he'll help, right bro?"

Seto looked at him and hissed, "What have I told you about volunteering people for things?"

Mokuba flushed, but Sakura came to his rescue. "It's okay; I have a friend helping me." Lie. "What grade are you in? Eighth?"

Mokuba beamed. "Only seventh, but I'm almost top of my class!"

The easy banter continued back and forth, Seto stuck in the middle of it all, resenting how happy they seemed. He sat, almost wishing he were in that conversation with them. He noticed the barely detectable jerk of the limo when it stopped, presumably in front of Takashi's house. It was large, well-kept and neat. Nothing like his mansion, of course, but comfortably upper-middle class.

Kaiba coughed and Sakura looked at him. She noticed the familiar scenery of her neighborhood and noticed the lime had stopped. The driver came around the side of the car and held the door for her. Sakura was about to step out, but remembered her manners and said pleasantly, "Thank you for the ride Mister Kaiba. And thank you for the company, Mokuba." She started to step for the concrete when her arm was grabbed. Seto had grabbed the sleeve of her jacket.

"Wait," he said. He inhaled sharply. _Why am I still guilty? Haven't I repaid her yet?_ "Will you… join me for … dinner… tonight?"

Sakura was bewildered. _Why? After the terrible things I said, after this ride home, why does he want me around? Why am I so excited to say yes?_

Seto handed her a business card. "You can call me if you are unable to attend. Otherwise, a car will be sent around at six this evening."

Sakura nodded vaguely and stepped out, shoving the business card in her pocket. The door clicked closed and the driver tipped his hat at her. He went into his own seat and the long lime rolled away from her home. If the windows hadn't been tinted so darkly, Sakura would have seen Mokuba waving to her.

She tottered up the steps to her house, grabbed the key from her purse and went up to her room. She sat and thought, unable to sort out her feelings. She liked the decisive way Kaiba walked, his smooth voice, his strength and severity. He was a mystery, and it tore her heart on the line between love and hate.

Unbeknownst to her, a person entered her house, closing the door with a soft snap. He walked silently up the stairs and stood outside her cherry wood door, listening to her breath. He lifted his gun and kicked the door open.

"Don't move or make a sound."

* * *

Hey! My computer was in the shop for a while, but now it's a bazillion times faster XD. I know all my chapters seem to be fairly short, but that's just the way I write, sorry. I wanted to thank all of my loyal fans and reviewers! Really, you have made this story much better. Thanks especially to: Death101-Fox Version, rkaolagirl, Pharaoh'sJewlel, Zooelle, and all the Anonymuses and pop-ins! Please keep reviewing and reading.

Ivory Goddess of Ebony Heart

SETO ROX!


	11. Unmasked and Unwanted

_There is special providence in  
the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to  
come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the  
readiness is all. Since no man, of aught he leaves, knows what is't  
to leave betimes, let be._

_-Hamlet-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

Sakura's eyes widened. The shiny silver barrel, fitted with silencer, faced towards her, the shaft a steely and unblinking eye. The shaking glance moved from the gun to the man. White hair, malevolently pointed, crowned his head. His attire was simple and dark. He looked like any other teen you might see on the streets; his oddness only made him more ordinary. The only distinguishing characteristic was a gold, ring-shaped pendant with a triangle and eye in the middle. Sakura was paralyzed, from her throat to her legs.

She looked at her hands, unable to meet the eyes of this mad man. Kaiba's business card was still clenched tightly in her fingers; the ink had smeared at the edges. Sakura knew this moment would be forever branded in her mind, never to become a thing called a memory. This moment was frighteningly alive.

The gunman thought, _Why doesn't she cry out?_

Sakura located her vocal chords. "Who are you?" Her voice trembled and chocked and whispered on every word.

The man spoke his first words. "I might ask you the same question. My name is not for you to know yet. His eye looked around the room. The windows' shades were pulled, the door had a lock. The perfect setting for revenge. Then he noticed her fingers. There was a slip of paper between the pale fingers. He could see only one part of a word on it: "_Kai- _"

His brown eyes glinted. "Give that here," he commanded.

Sakura knew she had to reach out her hand to give this man what he wanted. Where was her hand? Past the heart, the lungs, the only things she could feel moving.

The man was not patient. "Give it to me now!" He advanced and snatched it from her clenched fingers. Seto Kaiba's business card. This was evidence, incriminating, convicting evidence.

He smirked a little, shoving the card into his pocket. "This," his gruff voice spoke slowly, "this is what happens when you become friends with the wrong people."

稜

"Seto, how do you know that girl?"

Mokuba was back at the Kaiba Mansion, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. His brother typed on the laptop nearby. For the eighth time since the beginning of this conversation, he threw his pen down on top of his business papers. This was a far cry form his usual calm, cool and collected. He was frustrated, something rare and absolutely blindsiding. With his stocks up so far, he had numerous media pieces and reports to both edit and write. He exhaled and counted to five. He picked up the pen and scratched down a quick note

His blue eyes met Mokuba's violet ones. _Can I tell my little brother, who perpetually looks up to me, that I was attacked and saved by little more than a stranger of a girl? I will not lie, and I will not keep silent. The truth is all that's available._

He saved his document and took one last shorthand note on the pad of paper. Mokuba had jelly running down his chin, watching the play of emotions on his big brother's face.

Seto rested his slender hand in his hair, burying it in the brown depths. He sighed. This was going to be the first and last idiotic statement he made. "I was going out for a walk to get away from the office, in a field by Willow Street." He looked sharply at his brother, and then looked back to nothing. "I was accosted by a man, probably a petty thief. He took my wallet and seemed to be going for heavier physical assault when he hit me with my briefcase, which Roland has recovered for me." Seto paused again; he noticed the jam had dripped down Mokuba's face onto his shirt. Mokuba noticed the staring and wiped it off with the back of his hand, which only ground it into the fabric. There was silence for a minute.

"Well? How does this Sakura fit in to the story?" Mokuba demanded.

Seto looked at him reproachingly, but gave no comment.

"She's the one who found me."

桜

The only thing Sakura knew about this man was that he was a stranger and he was a threat. She slammed her eyelids together and prayed for someone, anyone, to come find her. The man, card in hand, retreated a few steps back.

He opened his deceivingly beautiful mouth and began to speak. "Now that we're on the same page, you can know a few things about me, why I'm here." He noticed Sakura's eyes closed, her lips forming fast, inaudible words.

He wanted her attention, wanted to feel her fear. "Open your eyes, Sakura. _Look at me._" Sakura obeyed unwillingly. She knew he had the advantage, that she didn't stand a chance.

"Now that I have your attention, I can continue. You may call me Bakura. Not exactly my name, but close enough. I am here for vengeance. To get something for myself. Through you."

Sakura was numb and uncomprehending. The last few days had been climax after climax, she was spent and she couldn't deal with anymore fear. Why couldn't it all end?

"You don't get it." He smirked. I really didn't expect you to. I suppose there's no harm in revealing a few more details."

He moved his index finger from the trigger and left it on the gun handle. "Kaiba has something I want, but there's no way to get it. I couldn't just ask him for it. So I'll have to use force."

He paused to close the cherry wood door and turn the lock.

_Trapped. _Sakura's breathing accelerated and Bakura's eyes turned a mad shade of happier.

"His brother was too difficult, always surrounded by security guards, always being watched. It seemed there was no one else to use as my hostage, my wager. Then you appeared.

"You never found out _how_ Mister Kaiba ended up in the field, did you? Well I can tell you. I was there. I had been looking for something, so before having to go to all the work of a hostage, I decided to see whether he kept it on him at all times."

Sakura was confused more than scared right then. "Kept _what_ on him?"

Bakura was indignant. "Have you ever heard of Duel Monsters?"

Sakura nodded. In grade school, it had been a popular game among the children.

Her captor asked, "Have you ever heard of the Egyptian God cards?"

"No."

"Well, there are three, each with legendary power and exceeding rarity. Only one of each. A person who used to be a friend of mine had a card. I then killed him and took it. I need all three."

"So- so Kaiba has one?"

"You're fast. Yes, he is the possessor of Obelisk the Tormenter. I am determined to have it.

"So I followed him one day, an accomplice of mine having notified me. I took his wallet and briefcase. The wallet contained nothing but useless money, the briefcase was unopenable. I disposed of it in the same field, but not before I rendered Kaiba unconscious with it. I would have killed him, but I so desperately needed him for this operation.

"I looked to see if I was being followed, and it seemed clear until _you_ came sauntering over the horizon and took Mister Kaiba away.

"I found out who you were, where you lived. I even followed you home one night to make sure I was right. You are guilty by association and now we will see who is more valuable: his card or you."

桜

She waited, looking at the clock. Waiting until she would die. Bakura, the serpent, had called the number on Kaiba's business card, only to get an automated reply. He wanted to speak to Kaiba in the flesh. More than an hour later, he spoke again, never letting go of the shiny, shiny gun.

"Are you to see Mister Kaiba this evening?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say no when she was interrupted in her breath.

"Don't lie to me. It's not becoming."

Sakura felt like a traitor to Kaiba as she uttered lowly, "_Yes."_

Bakura smiled again.

"Then we wait."

稜

Seto helped his little brother with his tie. Mokuba pushed the nimble hands away.

"Come on, I've been to a million dinner parties. I can do it myself."

Mokuba was excited to meet with this new friend Sakura of his big brother's. Everyone had to have friends, Seto included.

Seto pushed Mokuba's hair back from his face. "Okay, okay. But if it's crooked, don't blame me."

He straightened his own tie and glanced at his silver watch. It was time to go.

"Mokuba, you stay here and supervise setup for this dinner. I'll be back with Miss Takashi in a little while."

Mokuba had put the puzzle pieces together. Seto was guilty and indebted, but Mokuba still hoped they could all be friends.

Seto exited through the French doors and out the main hall. Even dressed in a suit, looking every bit the professional, the gentleman, Mokuba thought that Seto looked the most afraid he had ever seen him.

桜

Sakura watched the digital numbers flip forward. Five fifty-five. Kaiba would arrive any minute.

Bakura noticed this too and felt his hand sweat with anticipation. He wiped them off on his pants, switching the gun from hand to hand. Sakura was bound and crying. _Sweaty hands are no good to hold a gun. I mustn't miss my target._

稜

The limousine had idled for only a second when Kaiba decided to go into Sakura's house himself.

_Why am I wasting my time on her? _Seto thought fervently._ I said she didn't need to come. This was purely optional. Why don't I just turn back to the car and run away?_

_Because that's the coward's way out._

He rang the doorbell to no reply. The door had been left open. He put his hand upon the pewter knob and turned.

Silence met him upon the house's entrance. There were no lights on, no sounds of footsteps on the stairs. _Perhaps she is not home._ But something in him refused to give up; a human presence felt present in the house. Why else would the door be open?

He saw laundry folded neatly in a pile outside one door on the upper level. Was it Sakura's? He climbed the stairs quietly, not wanting to disturb the settled quiet. He went to twist the handle to the bedroom when he noticed it resisted his pressure. _Locked?_ He raised his fist to knock until he head a loud click in the silence. It was distinct sound of a pistol being loaded. Seto's pupils shrank. What was going on?

He backed up as wide as the hallway and kicked right above the handle of the cherry door, where the locking mechanism was located. The door crashed open and dented the back wall. The sight shocked his eyes.

Sakura was bound upon her bed, tears running down her face. And a strange man pointed a gun in his face, restraining his step.

"Mister Kaiba. You've kept me waiting."

Kaiba knew he had to remain calm. "Who are you?"

"That seems to be a popular question today! Don't recognize me?" Chocolate brown eyes stared into ice blue; green jade looked on, helpless form the corner.

Kaiba had a gut instinct. _He's the one who attacked me._ And he had a hunch what he wanted.

"Kaiba, I have a simple command for you: give me your Obelisk the Tormentor or I kill this girl." His eyes were confident. Kaiba knew that he thought he had won already._ Good. It makes him easier to fight if he thinks he's already won._ He sighed and pretended to think it over, while evaluating the dynamics of his plan.

Seto looked at this gunman. "I'd rather have her dead than part with my card." He sighed.

"She'll just have to die."

Bakura was disappointed. _Wasn't this someone Kaiba was close to? No matter, I'll dispose of her and try again with that brother of his._ He had no pity for human life.

That was when Bakura made his mistake, one Kaiba had anticipated. _He turned his back on Kaiba to kill the girl._ That was when Kaiba attacked.

He grabbed the arm of the man and twisted it up his back. Seto knocked Bakura's legs out from beneath him and Bakura dropped the gun. Seto picked it up as quickly as he could and pointed it at him Bakura had not thought he would have to kill anyone, he had no other weapon. He struggled in his thoughts for another split second Kaiba needed. He grabbed Sakura form her bed and fled from the room. He rushed down the stairs and out the front door, into the limo as fast as he could, hopeful Bakura had not pursued. He threw himself on the black leather of the seats and slammed the door shut. He notified his astonished driver to call his security team and the police to the address he had exited; there was a criminal they needed to incarcerate.

Sakura, still bound wrists together, clung to Seto's neck and soaked his collar with her tears. The warmth spilled down his bare skin and pricked his heart.

* * *

Yeah, I'm really sorry I didn't update for a while. This chapter was really important and I fely it needed to be phrased just right. Thank you for all the support you've given me, I never could have gotten this far without you. Hope you liked having Bakura for a villian. Please, read and REVIEW!


	12. Black or White?

_I pray you, in your letters,  
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,  
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,  
Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak  
Of one that lov'd not wisely but too well;  
Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,  
Perplex'd in the extreme. . . ._

_-Othello-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

_How orderly __t__he ki__t__chen 'd look by nigh__t__,_

_Wi__t__h jus__t__ a clock, --_

_Bu__t__t__hey could gag __t__he __t__ick,_

_And mice won'__t__ bark;_

_And so __t__he walls don'__t__t__ell,_

_None will._

_-The Lonely House-_

_-Emily Dickenson-_

For the most part, Sakura was in shock. Death and she had been very close to negotiating and signing a contract. More shocking, though, was the nonsensical turnaround in Kaiba's attitude. His name was a sigh in the heart. He was going to let her die, be destroyed by the stranger, the killer. But at the last second, Bakura's face to her, Kaiba had seen fit to exchange her death sentence for a renewal on life.

It made no sense.

Sakura had wanted to be her usual quiet, bitter self. Observe this man from a distance, pretend to be close to him. But she and Mister Kaiba had gotten too close, too entangled, to make aloofness an option.

Now she turned her head from his shirt collar, pulled her hands back from his neck. The ropes burned her skin, thin and vivid rivulets of blood found their way invisibly down the snaking ropes of bondage. Sakura moved over to the unoccupied seat beside Kaiba. The driver talked briskly and quietly into his cell phone.

Seto looked at Sakura and ambivalence rose in his mind. Two options were there, there are always two options, action or inaction. Cut her loose and look kind and protecting, or do nothing and let her struggle.

He pushed his dignity aside for a second and felt in his pockets for his Swiss army knife. He retrieved it from the depths of the left one.

"Give me your hands," Seto said, hoping Sakura would correctly interpret his meaning. After a moment she obliged and asked, "Why?"

Seto held up the knife, the silver metal gleaming. Sakura recoiled visibly.

_Is she scared of me? It's not like I'm going to stab her._ But the girl had been through enough today. He brought the blade towards her wrists and her hands trembled in his.

_Stop it, Sakura, _she thought to herself, _get a grip! You are acting like a flimsy girly-girl!_ But the trembling did not stop. Seto quickly sawed through the thin cord and threw it to the floor. Her hands, before chalky, now flooded with the anxious wait of red blood. Seto had cut the rope from the top and did not see the underside of her wrist.

"Th-thank you," she said, trembling in voice, and moved her hand away, thus turning it. At first she just flinched at the tiny start of pain, she kept moving her rope burned hands. Raw skin on torn skin burned her and her molars locked so hard together they ground in her jaw.

Seto noticed and tentatively reached out to stop her hands. He turned them over and saw bruises that lined up with the placement of the rope, blood spilling down. He was not disgusted or worried. He had seen worse heal. His head, once bleeding desperately out of the back, matting his hair in blood, was now well except for a thin line of a hardened scab under his hair.

He called up to the driver, uncaring if he was on the phone still or otherwise. Seto Kaiba was not a patient person and wanted to waste no more time than necessary having to be compassionate.

"Get me the first aid kit from the glove box." The driver did not ask for what usage. Drivers never ask.

Seto sterilized the little cuts, trying to be soft in his movements. He could type eighty words a minute, but lacked gentleness from years of disuse. The left wrist bled more than the right one, he applied a thicker bandage there. More blood meant more healing.

稜

Mokuba tapped his fingers on the marble-topped countertop. Seto wasn't late, but Mokuba was anxious. He wished he had gone with his big brother. Still, from what he'd seen of Sakura seemed pleasant enough, warm even. But after his disappearance, Mokuba knew any exit, however temporary, of Seto's would make him anxious. He moved to the front window of the mansion and waited for a car to pull into the black driveway.

It was dark, and had been since five o'clock because of the dreary time of year-February the twelfth. A new semester had started at all the high schools, people were ready for spring. But spring would not come for a long while.

When the limo pulled into the driveway, Mokuba was half-tempted to barge outside and hug his brother, but the want to look mature over-rode it. The exterior lights were turned on and Mokuba watched Seto lead Sakura from the idling car to the large double doors. He noticed Sakura's choice of attire was wrong. She wore dark jeans and a green sweater, the same one she had been wearing when he had seen her earlier in the day. She looked nice enough, but next to tuxedos… Mokuba wondered whether he should change to avoid embarrassing Sakura.

As he thought about it, Seto climbed quickly up the steps with his long legs and silently opened up the front door. A maid named Tiya waited with Mokuba to relieve the guests of any burdensome wrappings. Only Kaiba needed to be relieved of his dinner jacket, Sakura had been swept up too fast to think about anything but not wanting to die.

Seto leaned down to the ear of his brother and whispered, "Go change. We'll have a casual dinner tonight." He stood back up from his stoop. "Tiya," he said in a professional but commanding voice, "take Miss Takashi to the dining room. Mokuba and I will be down shortly."

Tiya bowed slightly and turned to Sakura. The maid was pretty, but plain; a wholesome-looking specimen. Her blond hair was tied tightly, her pale grey eyes shone in the alcove's light. "This way," she said, lightly touching Sakura's arm.

Sakura had been in large and beautiful houses, but this was certainly the largest and most ornate she had ever seen. Something seemed amiss, though. There were pictures on the walls; there were fresh flowers in vases. The porcelain tiles were spotless; the cool whites and blues were refreshing if not depressing, but something was not present. Maids and butlers hurried up and down staircases, all in their customary uniform. Sakura felt enthralled as she passed under the crystal of the chandelier, the million little white-hot stars caressed her skin. But it was lonely here. It was eternal snow in a sad house on a hill. Nothing was here but emptiness, despite the elaborate delicacies. Not any sound, any warmth permeated the thin shell of loneliness exuded.

Sakura looked around, her eyes almost shedding tears for the sheer sadness of the place. Tiya saw her expression and left her to seat herself in the dining room, giving her privacy to grieve, or whatever action of sadness she intended to commit.

She found a place set at the table with her name, a water glass filled. She felt like the entire weight of the Kaiba mansion, Kaiba himself, had been compacted and laid on her heart. She pictured his cobalt blue eyes closed, winter white skin of his eyelids, tears blossoming under the rims.

Sakura felt tears leave her own eyes; they spilled into the water glass she had been brooding over. Dropping and rippling, she saw one invisible liquid dissolve into another.

Seto entered the room in his signature white trench coat, dressed otherwise in black and silver. Mokuba followed in after, clad in black jeans and a white t-shirt.

Sakura took one look at them and felt tears well in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she saw Kaiba, a guarded wall, dark and reinforced with infallible silver armour. Unbreakable, but he had some basic goodness in him, the white, which at times obscured the darkness. Mokuba was already half-tainted by the darkness in his brother, halfway to a fallen angel.

Sakura was the kind of person who found symbolism in everything.

Seto saw her crying at the table and his old instincts came gushing out.

"Don't just sit there and cry! Crying is weak and tears are pointless. Stop it now, Takashi." Sakura could not stop though, Kaiba's sadness was bigger than her own heart could contain.

Kaiba stepped towards the chair. "_Shut up!_"

Sakura felt as if she'd been slapped. All the sorrow for Kaiba took a back seat to surprise at the outburst.

Kaiba's eyes widened too. What had he done?

_You've done nothing wrong. You don't owe her anymore; she doesn't need you to be kind to her. That's not the kind of person you are Kaiba. You aren't._

But all of a sudden, that's who Kaiba wanted to be.

He did not say it aloud because it frightened him.

He looked at the dead silent room. Sakura, he had pierced with his words, Mokuba he had shocked.

He pulled a chair out from the table. _You want victory, you will get it at any cost. _The voice sounded mostly like Gozaburo's. _Do not be defeated, unless by a worthy opponent… as if there are any!_ That sounded more like him. A misanthropic, cold, sharp-witted man, accustomed to winning. He refused to fail because he had failed. _I'm out to prove something to myself and to the world._ That was the absolute truth. But hadn't he proved enough already?

One half said _no, you are the best, you must maintain the status_. The other said _you are not a child under the shadow of your father, move on._ He dug his hands to the roots of his hair and pushed it all away.

The two spectators in the room watched the man's face change and shift with every thought. It was like reading a book written in a foreign language. This was the language of Seto Kaiba. A little bit English, enough to hint at letters, but hidden by false starts, misleading lines and invisible or scratched out sections of text.

He stood up and put his hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Miss Takashi, we've both been through a lot today. I'm not sending you back to your house until Bakura is properly taken care of and the house is secure. Tiya," he called barely louder than a normal decibel to the kitchen, "come here."

The girl entered, ready to do her employer's bidding.

"Show Miss Takashi to the main upper guest room. She'll be staying the night."

Both women nodded and left without a word. 

桜

Tiya did not seem to be one of the chattiest people in the world and Sakura was grateful. Seto Kaiba's outburst did not particularly offend her, she understood. If someone had been crying all day, then stopped, wouldn't it annoy you to see them cry _again?_ No, the room had stayed silent because everyone was afraid that Kaiba himself had overreacted.

They entered a large blue-grey room with white trim. It was very well-sized and clean. Tiya nodded towards an armoire. "You will find spare night clothes in there. The adjoining bathroom will be stocked with necessities in a few minutes. If you need anything, you may call on me or Mister K-" The woman stopped and smiled apologetically. Sakura had the feeling she had known what had happened in the dining hall.

Sakura thanked her quietly and listened to the door shut. Would Sakura ever get to sleep in her own room again? Seemed unlikely with the string of catastrophes that had happened. It had all started with the simple "good Samaritan" act of helping a stranger in trouble. But Sakura never regretted the choice of helping him.

It was too early in the day to consider going to sleep. Sakura was deliberating what to do when there was a knocking at her door. She opened it up and found Mokuba standing there. He seemed embarrassed.

"Hey Sakura," he said reaching behind his head to scratch his neck. "I'm sorry about what Seto did earlier. It might be his work. After being off for those few days in hospital, the work's piled up. He can get mad like that sometimes."

They both knew he was making excuses, but neither minded.

"Hey, I never really thanked you properly for saving Seto for me." Mokuba's violet eyes dropped to the carpet. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

They both shuffled awkwardly in the doorway. Sakura decided to break the silence. "So, Mokuba, what were you going to do tonight?"

Mokuba's expression brightened considerably. "I was going to practice my Duel Monsters strategies!"

Sakura was confused. "Isn't that a two-player game?"

"Yeah, but on night's when Seto's working or away, there's a program you can use and set to level. Seto made it for me." The admiring way he spoke of his brother warmed Sakura's heart. Maybe, maybe, he was a good person.

Mokuba looked excited. "Do you want to play? You could use an online deck and my spare laptop! C'mon!"

Mokuba rushed down the hallway, Sakura followed after, glad to be here. For the first time since her arrival, the house didn't seem sad.

As the happy pair danced to the bedroom, Seto Kaiba wondered who he was.


	13. Seto's Heart

_"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind."_

_-A Midsummer's Night Dream-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

"Okay, how much do you remember?"

Sakura thought briefly. "Not much. I've only ever played this a couple times."

Mokuba smiled in eagerness. Now _he_ got to be the expert on everything, just like Seto.

"Alright, this is a monster card, here's magic and trap too. Monsters have an attack and a defense…" Mokuba's eyes gleamed amethyst and his cheeks flushed in eagerness. He sounded like a professor.

"… and you put it down like this. Got it so far?"

Sakura nodded and listened as he gave detailed descriptions of different strategies. _Very _detailed. After another minute, Sakura had no idea what he was talking about and discreetly began to examine the room. The walls were painted a light, airy blue, the color of the sky when the sun shines clearly. The floor was almost white and the wood looked satiny. Spotlights in the ceiling lit up the room and various posters of duel monsters hung from the walls. Sakura looked at the bed she was on. It was, primarily, huge, clothed in white and blue. A television, computer, work desk, and game console were all present. A door to an ensuite bathroom was next to the TV. The room was immaculate, but Sakura couldn't imagine Mokuba kept it like that himself.

_Lucky kid, _Sakura thought.

Mokuba's excited voice (about four times louder than his normal one) jolted her out of her ponderings. "Ready to play?"

Sakura accepted the laptop he held out to her and looked at the huge list of cards on the screen. "These are _all_ just duel monster cards?" There were thousands.

"Yup. The monsters are at the top, then trap, then magic."

Sakura scrolled through the pictures, choosing ones that caught her eye. She asked Mokuba about a couple, usually about whether or not they were good choices. She came to a picture of a huge white and blue dragon. "Mokuba, how about this one?"

Mokuba looked at the screen and his eyes seemed luminous. "Yes. That one's the best card in the world! My big brother has three of them!"

This didn't seem like a very big accomplishment to Sakura. She vaguely remembered that kids always had pair or triples of their favorite cards. "So?" she wondered tentatively.

Mokuba shook his head. "You really don't know. Well, there were only four in the whole world. Seto…obtained them," Sakura didn't like the way he said _obtained_, it sounded suspicious, "and they're his favorite cards."

"What about the fourth one?" Sakura asked.

Mokuba hung his head. He wasn't proud of this fact.

Neither was Seto Kaiba, who was listening by the door.

"Well, a few years ago, he wanted to own all four. He heard that someone had it and he offered a very generous trade for it. But," Mokuba's voice colored with emotion, "I guess it wasn't enough. The person said it was a very dear possession. He challenged, well, forced, I guess, the person to a duel and won the card. Then," Mokuba's voice dropped, "he ripped the card in half so it could never be used against him."

"Why?" Sakura thought. "Wouldn't it be better if had four than three?"

Mokuba smiled sadly. "You can only have three of the same card in your deck."

Seto hadn't expected Mokuba to spill out their secrets. He was filled by contempt for a moment, but it settled down. _She should know. She should know the _whole_ truth about_ _you._

Seto wondered where that thought had arisen from and heard the conversation resume. He hesitated for a moment and decided to enter. _When did I start caring what other people think about me?_

The door opened quietly, but the even stride of Kaiba was detected by Mokuba instantly. "Seto!" he said joyously. Sakura resisted smiling too happily; Seto didn't seem the type to take it as a compliment.

Seto silently ruffled Mokuba's hair and something akin to a smile played at the corners of his lips. But it disappeared at Mokuba's next question.

"Hey, big brother, can you show Sakura your Blue Eyes White Dragon? It's her favorite!" Sakura smiled bashfully and tried not to look too hopeful.

Seto did not speak and his thoughts were livid. _Show her my Blue Eyes? She's probably never even heard of it until today! She can't love it! She's never even _seen _it!_

But another voice said, "Scared to show your heart, Kaiba?"

And he was scared. He was terrified.

_She deserves to know._

Who kept saying that?!

Seto's features were finally at rest. This was the most emotional day since childhood. But Seto nodded and left the room.

Sakura had seen his discomfort with the question and wondered if she should take back the question. But Mokuba seemed oblivious to the scene and waited eagerly to see the card. It was the best card he knew.

A minute later, Seto was returning from his safe, deck in hand. He turned over the first card and, as he suspected, his dragon was on top. It had been a while since his last duel and he missed the card, if that made sense. He knew it was his favorite, but it was more. It was part of his essence.

Inside the room, Sakura felt her stomach rumble. The last thing she'd eaten was the continental breakfast at the hospital, which was by no means tasty or filling.

Mokuba heard it too and was about to ask her if she wanted something to eat when Seto entered again. He crossed to the bed in three long strides and outstretched his hand with the card in it to Sakura. But he couldn't watch her take it, it hurt as if she were taking part of himself, and looked away.

Sakura's hand stopped on the card at Kaiba's face turned from her. His eyes were in shadow, making them impossible to read. She was confused. What was wrong with Kaiba?

Kaiba turned to Sakura and saw her hand frozen on the card. Kaiba let go and an almost real pain shot through his chest, left side. Ah, his heart.

Sakura brought the card closer to his face and examined it. Kaiba felt like she was examining him. Mokuba peeped over her shoulder on the bed, his face happy again.

Sakura looked back up at Kaiba.

"It's beautiful."

Kaiba could not explain to himself the elation, or, more strangely, the relief that flooded him.

Sakura handed the card back to him and her stomach growled again. Sakura could feel blood tint her cheeks as Kaiba looked at her.

_Of course, _Kaiba realized, _none of us have had dinner yet._

Mokuba spoke up. "Seto, it's kinda late for dinner. How about a midnight feast?"

_So enthusiastic,_ Sakura smiled to herself.

"Fine." Seto did not look pleased, but he did not look upset. He was indecipherable. He was a mystery, and he was not about to explain the answer to the riddle. With Seto Kaiba, "fine" could have a thousand meanings.

Mokuba took it as positive and jumped on the bed in happiness. "Yay! Our feasts are the best! C'mon Sakura! Rule number one is you have to put on pajamas! Do you remember the way to your room?"

Sakura thought about it and wasn't even sure what floor she was on anymore.

"Nope. No idea." Mokuba looked crestfallen at the idea of putting off his own preparations and Seto and Sakura knew it. Mokuba was easy to read and his emotions were clear on his face. Seto decided to help out- again.

"I'll show you. Your guest bedroom is on the same floor as mine."

Sakura smiled one last time at Mokuba and closed the door behind her. She mutely followed Seto down the hall. She noticed the possessive way he clutched his cards and held them close to his side. He had worked for them. There was blood in those cards.

The pair walked up a flight of stairs, then another. Sakura noticed several elevator openings but she preferred stairs. Being alone with Kaiba in an elevator would have unnerved her.

Kaiba came to a halt outside a familiar-looking door.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She stepped inside and shut the door. Sakura headed to the armoire where Tiya had said spare things were kept. She opened up the door and found a little stack of towels, some slippers, bed sheets and a pillow. Where were the pajamas? She placed everything on the floor and found nothing.

She opened up the door; half-hoping that Kaiba would still be outside, waiting for her. No one was outside and the hall was empty. She would have gone to the kitchen and told Mokuba there were no pajamas, but she didn't know where the kitchen was.

She headed down the hall, and knocked on all the closed doors, wishing she could hurry up and find Kaiba's room already. She found linen closets, extra bedrooms, a control room, a games room, but no master bedroom. She was getting bored and forgetting to knock. She was just opening the doors, getting used to the feeling that no one would be there. She was just throwing open another door and barely looking inside when she saw that she had found it. At the most inopportune moment.

Seto Kaiba was opening the top drawer of a closet and retrieving and shaking out a pajama shirt that matched his current bottoms, blue silk. His own shirt was lying on the floor.

For being thin, he was surprisingly muscular. His skin was pale and the blue of his veins was noticeable. He was beautiful.

Sakura let her mouth hang open (knowing she wouldn't get it shut for a few minutes and tried to ease the door shut. Unfortunately, Seto noticed and stared at Sakura. Her face was not flushed. Instead, she seemed to be in a happy kind of shock. Seto shrugged the shirt on and strode to the door. He looked at Sakura and said, "Can I help you?"

Sakura just stared and stared. He was possibly the most beautiful human she had ever seen. And he didn't seem to care that she just saw him shirtless. Sakura knew she would have screamed and slammed the door shut, but Kaiba just sat there, calm, cool and collected. Sakura him in the eye and said, "I don't have any pajamas."

Kaiba considered her for a moment and laughed as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. This was the first time Sakura had seen him laugh, but she couldn't join in. She had to be hallucinating. At first, Kaiba thought he was going crazy too. Since when did he not mind people bursting into his bedroom to complain about heir pajamaless state?

_So, this is how the rest of the human world feels at times. Utterly happy with no reason._

Seto smiled at Sakura and said, "I'll get you some. Then we'll go to the kitchen."

He searched desperately for his hard, cold voice, but it had vanished for the moment. He felt… alive.

稜

Mokuba tilted back in his kitchen chair and heard the floor creak beneath him. He heard footsteps on the stairs and looked again to make sure the table was sufficiently covered in food. He seemed satisfied and re-tried his balancing act. Soon enough, Seto and Sakura came into the kitchen, both pajama-clad. Seto was smiling faintly and Mokuba smiled back.

"Let's eat!" Mokuba declared.

桜

Full and content, Sakura and Mokuba headed back up to Sakura's floor, re-discussing their evening. Sakura said goodnight to him and saw Kaiba walk up the stairs. He was no longer smiling, but he looked peaceful. He saw Sakura and waved. Sakura waved back and retreated into her room for the night.

* * *

Yeah, yeah. I know this is short, but it felt special to me!

Please read and review! Thanks so much for all your support! 3


	14. Into the Looking Glass

_This above all: to thine own self be true,  
And it must follow, as the night the day,  
Thou canst not then be false to any man.  
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!_

_-Hamlet-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

Seto Kaiba watched the door close and saw the outline of Sakura, indefinite, ripple against the door frame. He had been looking at her so long that she had left her mark there, a tattoo upon the lids of his eyes. He would forever see her when his eyes closed. But each time he blinked, the outline grew a little fainter. He tried to keep his eyes closed, but the phantom drifted out of reach. His eyes would not stay open without the blinking, the lightening of the apparition. So he instead forgot her and turned. It was time for him to forget.

桜

Sakura stepped out to the balcony. She had not noticed it before, so little time had she spent in her own room. The night air was abrasive and caused her flesh to rise up into a thousand little hills. She looked out over the dead gardens. There was only snow to be found, spotless, fair snow. She felt the wind pick up and tried to think of the date. _February twelfth._

The night air was cold and clear, rippling with the anticipation of midnight. Sakura could feel her eyes begin to close; the cold could not keep her awake. She exited the tiny balcony and quietly shut the French doors. Serenity overwhelmed her, and she fell to sleep.

And tranquilly, outside the window, the snow began to fall.

稜

Seto Kaiba woke up at a precise six in the morning. He dressed, and walked down the usual two flights of stairs to see Mokuba. The door opened and closed, with only a brief look in between the two. Seto had seen he was fine and he did not want to disturb his brother. Seto knew Mokuba would not appreciate being woken up so early.

He wondered whether or not to check on Sakura. Something in his heart hardened when he thought of her. He decided to wait until after his espresso to see her. After all, she had to go to school today too.

Seto had his espresso in his office and checked over his morning emails. There were the numbers for the quarter to finish checking and reports and claims to verify. Nothing too unusual. But looking at the in box symbol, there was still a one next to it. Seto clicked back a page and opened the extra email. But he had the strangest longing to see a certain girl. He left his work to see her.

But he still disliked her.

_Don't I?_

桜

Sakura opened her eyes and fell off the bed. _Where am I? __**This is not my house.**_

Then of course, as it always does, her memory returned loyally and informed her of all she had done. _You are in the Kaiba Mansion. You learned to play Duel Monsters with Mokuba. You saw Seto Kaiba shirtless. You made him laugh. You had a midnight feast. You went to bed. You are awake. Get off the floor._

She made up the bed and headed to the window. Snow had come with her angel's wing and shed her down upon the window frame. It's glittering was lovely in the garden beneath. Sakura felt a smile cross her face. Today would be wonderful.

She looked to the small silver clock on the bedside table. It was six thirty. She decided to take a shower and relax for the day. The police investigation would be over soon, and she could go back home.

Then she remembered it was Monday.

稜

Seto went up to see Sakura. But something, the same thing that had drawn him to go see her, stopped him for a moment. A thought was brought to him, in his home, in no special location. But it was a turning point.

She was a forbidden fruit, a moon that never rose or set, an impossibility. For Seto to take his soul, a book with pages fused shut, and offer it to someone, to wound, take advantage of, or, even scarier, understand.

_I don't have a heart._ He didn't even believe himself.

Everyone he'd come in contact with was either of the belief that he had no heart whatsoever; he was a driven, evil, greedy man. But there were a few others, who he detested much more than the other humans, who thought he did have a good heart under all the black and ice. They believed that he could be overcome.

He used to agree with the former group. _Heartless _was a perfect adjective. But now, the latter seemed true. Seto Kaiba had been living a lie for his entire life, or at least since his internal darkness began. Since Gozaboro.

_Now, I begin to see a lighter side of me._

Seto opened the card-shaped locket. His little brother waved back. How had he retained his innocence when he had lost all of his? He supposed that some people, the logical ones, still retained the age-old instinct to blend into their surroundings. But Mokuba, wooden horse, as his name denoted, had been surprising and infiltrating with his contagious light. He had become the opposite so he would be loved and not respectfully hated as his brother.

_He doesn't want to be like me._

_So I must be like him._

The first mental image that appeared was of Tea Gardner cheering for Yugi. It made him lock his jaw. _Stupid optimist._

But yes, to be brighter, to be kind without losing his own life… to banish the flaws and keep the blameless… there a loved person existed.

One last thought forcefully entered his mind, from Ovid:

"_If you would be loved, be lovable._"

稜

Seto felt his mind go blank. That was almost a hallucination. Never in his life had he thought the things he had just thought. He had always tried to keep his mind on business and himself. Never had he considered his own public appeal, aside from judicious use of ego and appearance to sell his products or promote his tournaments or intimidate competition. He had never cared so much what others thought of him.

A locked door opened and so many memories came back. Of the time before his adoption, the card Mokuba had made for him, the playground he had taken Mokuba as a child… they all unbound themselves from the abyss they'd been cast into. And Seto cherished each one of them.

For the first time in his life, Seto Kaiba felt the salt water of tears fall from his eyes.

He tasted his own sadness and had never been happier.

稜

Seto walked to Sakura's room, knocked and waited for the still, small voice of Sakura to call him forward. There was no answer and Seto couldn't pretend to not care. Everything was new and different. He opened the door quietly and saw the bed made. Seto entered and looked for her.

The bathroom door opened and Sakura exited in a bathrobe.

"Oh, Mister Kaiba, good morning. I was just getting ready for school. I'm a little late." Sakura was flustered and waited for Kaiba's detached reply.

Kaiba himself wasn't quite sure how to go about expressing his new found light.

"Good morning, Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened at the cheerfulness. Surely, it wouldn't last. "I will not be attending school today. Would you like a ride with Mokuba?"

Sakura felt it wouldn't be polite to enquire Kaiba's reason for absence, even with the cheerful mood.

In his heart of hearts, Seto was half-hoping she would say no, so they could spend the day together. As friends do.

But her reply was different. "Yes, that would be fine. I'll finish dressing. Thank you for letting me stay here," she tacked on meekly.

Seto just nodded and walked away. Why wasn't he loved?

桜

Sakura shut the door and shook her head. _Why was he so… friendly?_ Her mind drifted to other things. _It's good I could get Fumiko from science to lend me a uniform. Oh no! I left the Julius Caesar worksheet at home! And the semi-colon sheet! _

She hurried to get dressed and get ready.

Seto, standing outside the door, could not understand the situation from any analytical point of view. _What will I do? Re-instate… emotions? I thought I was devoid of those years ago._ But he knew change loomed before him. He felt his old self, comfortable, well-worn, calling out to him. It was extremely tempting to let Sakura think he had been having a panic attack at their last meeting and re-become himself.

_No. I want to be light. I want my soul back._

_

* * *

_Yup, exams are over and it's writing time. Sorry for the ludicrously slow update. Please give me advice on this chapter, I was unsure about a few things. Was Seto too OOC? Is it too short? Just wrong? Please R and R.


	15. Walking in the Air

"_My salad days,  
When I was green in judgment, cold in blood,_

_To say as I said then!"_

_-Antony and Cleopatra-_

_-William Shakespeare-_

"If I were you, I'd start clearing out my office now. Your contract? You're fired!"

Seto Kaiba hung up the phone, feeling miraculously self-satisfied. It had been a difficult day, but nothing that checking up on a few report translation efforts couldn't fix. That always cooled his heart, warming him with ice.

_So the whole "nice guy" charade didn't work out for me. So what?_

But it seemed like he'd picked this time to grow a conscience. A little prick, hot and fiery, touched him. _Guilt._

Kaiba shook his head, and shuffled his papers, laying them back in his briefcase. Someone knocked at the door. "Yes?" Kaiba responded indifferently. _That'll show you, _he said to his new-found conscience.

Mokuba entered, eyes dull and sad. Kaiba picked up on this after a minute and asked in a softer tone, "What's wrong, Mokuba?"

Mokuba sighed a little and threw himself down into the tightly upholstered leather chair in front of Seto's desk. "I got the call from the police department. They say that Sakura's house has been cleared and she can go home now."

At first, Seto wondered why Mokuba was sad. Then he realized _oh, he found himself a new little friend. Too bad she's leaving,_ Kaiba thought sardonically.

Mokuba continued to look sad and Kaiba continued to type on his laptop. Mokuba's brows were drawn downwards and he got angrier by the second. Then he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Don't you even _care_? After she rescued you and she tried to help you. She tried to be our _friend_."

Seto did not look up from the document he was working on. "I believe I have repaid my debt in full." Mokuba sat back in the comfortless chair and looked at his brother.

Seto's suddenly asked Mokuba, "Will she have to appear in court?"

Mokuba shook his head. "Bakura admitted to the crime and doesn't seem scared of the sentence. It's kind of weird…"

Seto was only half-listening. "Mm-hm. Okay. Mokuba, can you come and see me in a couple hours? I'm trying to get some work done."

Mokuba jumped off the chair, refusing to believe his brother could act like this. For years, he'd blamed it on the world hating him, so he must hate the world. But to be able to hate someone who saved you was inexcusable.

Mokuba shut the door harder than necessary and Seto coolly continued his work.

桜

"Ah," Sakura sighed, inhaling the reassuring scent, "home."

She went up to her bedroom and looked around. It was the same as it had been before. Outside the door, her laundry pile still sat.

_That corner was where I sat. Bakura was by the door. And Seto, he came through the door. This is the room I was saved in. This is the place I fell in love with-_

Sakura let that thought fall. It was not something she wished to consider. Seto had been happier; showing a side she never knew existed. He seemed bewildered at his own happiness when he expressed it. How could Sakura be sure he would ever give up that vulnerability again? It was probably just a fluke. He was not the kind of person that willingly expressed a desire to be wanted. He wanted his work to be wanted, his company, but never himself.

He was as far removed from his heart as the night is the day. Of course, night and day feed and blend into each other in a never-ending cycle. This was the way of Kaiba. His heart beat, sending blood to his body to allow it to function, but he relied on logic to make decisions. Emotions were not present.

If Seto could have heard what she thought, he would have been pleased.

稜

At seven that night, Seto packed away his papers and clicked his silver briefcase shut. The sound resonated slightly in the empty office; the rest of the employees had left the moment the second hand declared it five o'clock. Seto stopped himself from feeling resentment; thought resentment was a better thing to be feeling, it was still a thing called "emotion", a poison he was trying to detoxify his body of. So he shut down his feelings and pushed his chair into the cove underneath his desk.

His descent in the elevator was silent, as was his entrance into his limo, faithfully waiting in front of his office. His chauffer tipped his hat in welcome. Seto narrowed his eyes and turned his head. Out of the dark-tinted windows, a grey and unwelcoming world flew by. The industry buildings and condominiums thinned out until there were only dark, snowy forests left. Over the next crest of the hills, his mansion lay. Somehow, it had always felt inappropriate to him that his house lay in the middle of a nature he never went into.

Up the long, curving driveway the limousine climbed. The engine stopped, almost unnoticeably, and Seto left without a word.

For some reason, Kaiba had hoped he would not arrive at this destination. If the car were to drive forever, never having to stop, Kaiba could safely view the world through a dark tint, aloof and isolated. But he was out in the world, why not become part of it.

_Because you're not like other people. You have nothing to do with them._

Kaiba had to admit he was exceptional. He had more money than anyone in the country; he was handsome from what he had overheard. He had everything he wanted, in terms of physical things. But what about he past? Had his childhood not been anything except for normal? He had been the beloved son; he had a family, a very dear brother. But currently, by his own sad choice, he was without heart.

Seto stopped thinking and went into his house.

"You're home!" As always, Mokuba was pleased to see Seto. Half the time, he didn't return home until long past a proper dinner time and Mokuba ate alone, missing his brother's company. Mokuba had not forgotten about Seto's outburst against Sakura and wished he could only see her again, for she had become a fiery and enjoyable companion. And he still hoped that one day… maybe he would be able to learn to love.

But he doubted it. The only thing leading him onward was a thing that never rests or dies: Hope.

Seto went up to his office, as he always did, to lock his papers in his safe and put his overcoat away. Mokuba went to the dining room and resented the formalities of it. When he visited his friends' houses, they ate at the kitchen table. Their parent's embarrassed them and their dogs came to the table to beg for food. They lived in a state of constant love and cheerful noise. Looking around, at the silence and the pristine state of each and every thing, Mokuba had to tell himself that he loved his life.

Seto walked briskly down the stairs. He did not look at the watercolor paintings, he did not notice the pale blue of the walls, the color he had picked out himself. Mokuba noticed his unchanging expression as their gazes met. Seto could have been looking through him.

Seto sat at the table and the meal commenced with Mokuba attempting to engage Seto with his tales of school and daily news. But halfway through a sentence, he stopped. There was something he had to ask.

After a moment, Seto noticed Mokuba had stopped talking. He looked up with a diminutive flicker of interest in his eyes.

"What is it Mokuba?"

Mokuba considered dropping the question. After all his brother had done for him… making sure they would be together forever. But that was before Seto changed.

"Do you love me?"

Mokuba peeked at Seto's eyes, but they were calm as ever. Seto wanted to feel for him, but his love was an obvious fact.

"Mokuba, you know I-"

"Don't just say it because you've made sure I'm happy. In your heart, do you need me? Do you need your little brother?"

Mokuba looked as if he had lost his heart and would never get it back. _Have I starved him of affection so much that he doubts I need him?_

Seto did as his brother asked him and looked inside himself. In his heart, he found the memories of two faces nestled there.

His eyes softened; he vowed for them to never harden again.

He looked at his brother and said, "I do love you."

Mokuba was the easier one to confess to.

桜

Sakura put away her math textbook and pulled out her English homework. She finished the literary devices assignment and yawned. It was only eight, not yet time to sleep. Sakura wished the time away because she had nothing else to do. The house was clean, her dinner eaten and the dishes washed. She had no desire to read, her eyes were tired and her brain on the verge of collapse. So she went upstairs and put on a CD of Tchaikovsky. She sat at her desk and looked out the window. It had been dark for hours. Already, she could see into the cold, clear sky. Stars appeared on the ink blue canvas and lit the winter night with a soft glow. Sakura looked out and was reminded of the song "Walking in the Air." That song, in its sad essence, described her childhood.

Sakura could feel her lids falling closed as she looked out. She drew her gossamer curtains against the soft light of the winter sky of February the thirteenth, the eve of Saint Valentine's Day.

She did not know that across the city, a man was putting to death his false self and preparing for the scariest mission of his life: saying the words _I love you._

桜

_We're walking in the air  
We're floating in the moonlit sky  
The people far below are sleeping as we fly_

_I'm holding very tight  
I'm riding in the midnight blue  
I'm finding I can fly so high above with you_

_On across the world  
The villages go by like dreams  
The rivers and the hills  
The forests and the streams_

_Children gaze open mouthed  
Taken by surprise  
Nobody down below believes their eyes_

_We're soaring in the air  
We're swimming in the frozen sky  
We're drifting over icy mountains floating by_

_Suddenly swooping low  
On an ocean deep  
Rousing up a mighty monster from its sleep_

_We're walking in the air  
We're dancing in the midnight sky  
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly._

_

* * *

_Yeah, yeah. I deserve to be executed for keeping you guys on the edges of your seats. I hope this chaper pleases you. I really tried to portray Kaiba's inner battle with his good and bad sides. I hope I painted a picture for you like I could see myself. Walking in the Air is actually a great song! You should look it up! Thanks for all your support. Please read and review!


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